The Dutch elections and the danger of fascism

Wilders, adding that upcoming elections in France and Germany face similar movements.

“We were allowed to use this office for free, and Olaf pays the beer out of his own pocket”, said Jongkind, referring to the canned beers Olaf Paulus van Pauwvliet had brought. “I don’t think Dutch voters will let themselves be sidelined”.

But a Wilders defeat would still likely slow the momentum of French anti-immigrant leader Marine Le Pen, who if she captured her nation’s presidency in May would try to lead France out of the European Union, shattering the bloc in the process.

Alongside Nigel Farage of UKip and Marine Le Pen, the French National Front leader, he was vilified as a unsafe and unelectable demagogue with his inflammatory views on Islam and immigrants. Observers predict this time round however, four or even five parties may be needed to reach the 76-seat majority.

In the current election he has maintained a steady lead in the opinion polls.

Liesbeth Jongkind was motivated to participate because of the election of Trump in the United States.

These are the kind of voters who were crucial to Leave’s victory in the European Union referendum, so it will be interesting to see whether their concerns about unemployment and their pessimism about corruption in the Netherlands translate into greater support for populist parties, including the Freedom Party.

His one page manifesto is astonishingly brutal in its pitch.

Wilders, whose PVV went from being a largely marginal (if well-known) presence in Dutch politics a little over a decade ago to being one of the front-runners in this election, has campaigned on a platform explicitly targeting immigrants and Muslims: the first point on his campaign platform promises to “de-Islamize the Netherlands“. The manifesto calls for the withdrawal of all asylum residence permits and for asylum centres to be closed. Geert Wilders, an anti-Islam firebrand who wants to ban the Quran and close all mosques, was a close second.

The already dramatic campaign, which also saw Wilders temporarily suspend his campaign last month over a security leak, took another twist in its final days. The prevailing national mood favors Geert Wilders electorally.

It is decision day in the Netherlands in an election dominated by immigration, Islam and the rise of populism.

But the biggest loser is set to be the country’s Labour Party, on track to lose more than half their seats, ending the campaign as unpopular as ever.

There are 28 parties are on the ballot. Wilders was projected to win 24 seats, a two-seat increase.

“You’ve been a member of parliament for 20 years”.

Rutte appealed for calm, but he has rejected Turkey’s calls to apologise for expelling one of its ministers who tried to attend the pro-Ankara rally in Rotterdam.

In a televised clash on Monday night with prime minister Mark Rutte, their only nationally screened face-to-face debate before Wednesday’s general election, Wilders said anything less than a firm message would be “an insult to us and our police officers”.

But while the CDA presence in government would ensure a conservative stamp on any coalition, Buma said it endorses freedom of religion “and that’s a great difference”.

In 2016, both Brexit and Trump took the markets by surprise.

But the trend is there for all to see. 50Plus leader Henk Krol, expected to win 10 seats, wrote in an opinion piece that Freedom Party voters shouldn’t be excluded beforehand, because “everyone will understand what impression that will leave and how the Freedom Party can grow stronger from this”.