Picture: "In IJsselstein we speak Dutch." A sign in a city near Utrecht where a lot of Moroccan people live.BBC: A Dutch anti-Islam party has more than doubled its seats in parliament in a national vote, though it is unclear if it will take part in a coalition.
Freedom Party leader Geert Wilders said he wanted to be part of government.
The election saw the centre-right Liberal Party (VVD) emerging as the largest party, one seat ahead of the centre-left Labour Party. The Christian Democrat party of outgoing Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende suffered a big defeat.
Weeks of coalition negotiations are expected to follow the election.
With more than 99% of votes counted, the VVD had 31 of 150 seats, while Labour had 30.
As the party with the most seats, VVD leader Mark Rutte could now become the first prime minister from his political camp since World War I. Read more here
The PVV is the party of Geert Wilders, the one who toured the world with the Anti-Islam film “Fitna”. The slogan of the PVV: Less immigration, less crime, less Islam:
But who are the voters of the PVV? It seems that most voters are from the South of the Netherlands (which is a part of the bible belt). And also that a lot of voters are from small towns where there is hardly any "diversity".
Some facts about the PVV
- The party is a foundation, and not a normal political party with members. You can’t vote in this party. Wilders is the one and only chairman of the foundation.
- Some Black people have voted for the PVV. They believe that Wilders is anti-Islam and not anti-immigrant or anti-Black. In the Netherlands Moroccans are not seen as “black community”, but as an "Arab" community.
- A black Antillean man will also be elected for parliament for the PVV.
My opinion
I've seen The Netherlands transform from a tolerant country into an intolerant country. I really hope it will change some day.