Exit polls show a surge in support for populist Geert Wilders and his anti-immigration party following their victory in last year’s national elections.
Left-wing parties in the Netherlands are predicted to have narrowly won the most seats in the country’s European Parliament elections, despite far-right nationalist populist Geert Wilders’ anti-immigration party making huge gains.
The Labour/GreenLeft combination was projected to have won eight seats, just ahead of Wilders’ Party for Freedom (PVV) with seven seats, according to a national exit poll published on Thursday by the broadcaster US.
The exit poll has a margin of error of approximately one seat.
The result suggests huge gains for Wilders following his victory in last year’s national elections, given that his party failed to secure a seat in previous EU elections and only did so after a Brexit reshuffle.
“This is a very positive sign and also a signal to the elites in Brussels that things are going to change,” Wilders told journalists in The Hague.
“A signal that at least many Dutch voters gave today that they want a different European Union and they want a stronger nation-state. No more transfer of powers to Europe, but exactly the opposite.”
Labor leader Frans Timmermans said the results showed that left-wing parties should not be ruled out in this election, despite the rise of nationalist parties across Europe.
“As pro-European parties, we have shown the rest of Europe that it is not a done deal for the radical right to win these elections,” said the former EU climate chief.
Elections to the EU parliament
Voting in the Netherlands kicked off four days of EU parliament elections across the EU’s 27 member states.
It summarized the main internal political challenge facing the Union: the growing popularity of nationalist and populist parties that want to dismantle the EU from within.
Wilders, known for his outspoken views on immigration and Islam, said on Thursday that a good result for nationalist parties should encourage them to unite in their bid to change EU regulations and devolve more powers to legislatures. national.
The Labour/GreenLeft combination lost one seat from the 2019 result, but appeared to remain the largest overall, following a campaign in which they constantly warned about the rise of nationalist parties.
The two left-wing parties ran jointly, but will have separate factions in parliament after the vote.
The actual result of the Dutch elections will be announced after voting closes in all 27 member states on Sunday at 9pm GMT.
The 720-seat parliament co-decides with the EU’s 27 national governments on the laws governing the bloc’s single market, its long-term budget of 1 billion euros ($1.09 trillion), fiscal rules and laws to prevent climate change.
Polls on voter intentions show that the center-right is likely to win the largest share of seats, putting its candidate for the presidency of the European Commission, current Ursula von der Leyen of Germany, in pole position to be nominated for a second mandate.
The new parliament will decide on the EU’s next seven-year budget, which is expected to be in force from 2028, with Ukraine, Moldova and Western Balkan countries seeking membership.
This story originally appeared on Aljazeera.com read the full story
