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☆ Geert Wilders abandons Dutch PM bid despite election victory
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-14 | by ( Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Populist firebrand Geert Wilders has conceded that he will not become the next prime minister of the Netherlands because his potential coalition backers have refused to back him. “I can only become Prime Minister if ALL parties in the coalition support it. Similarly, Swedish Prime Minister Ulif Kristersson relies on the votes of the increasingly Euroskeptic, anti-immigrant Sweden Democrats. Despite admitting defeat this time, Wilders pledged to continue his push to become prime minister in the future. “Don’t forget: I will still become Prime Minister of the Netherlands.

Persons: Geert Wilders, Wilders ’, “, Wilders, ” Wilders, ”, Mark Rutte, Pieter Omtzigt, sanitaire, Jean, Marie Le Pen, Marine, Lionel Jospin, Jacques Chirac, Petteri Orpo, Sanna Marin, Ulif Kristersson, Robert Fico, “ Don’t Organizations: CNN, Democracy Party, Social Contract Party, European Union, National, Socialist, Socialists, Finns Party, Swedish, Sweden Democrats, Georgia Meloni Locations: Netherlands, Europe, Ukraine, Finland, Sweden, Georgia, Italy, Slovakia

☆ Geert Wilders Says He Will Forgo Becoming Dutch Prime Minister
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Claire Moses | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Geert Wilders, the hard-right politician who won a shocking victory in the last Dutch elections, said on Wednesday that he was willing to forgo becoming the prime minister of the Netherlands — for now — in an effort to increase the chances of forming a right-wing coalition. Long an anathema to mainstream politicians, Mr. Wilders has been at the center of coalition negotiations in the months since his decisive election victory in November. While it is now highly unlikely that he will be the next prime minister, other parties have broken a taboo that was in place since 2012: They will have to find a way to govern with Mr. Wilders’s Party for Freedom in some form. “I can only become prime minister if ALL parties in the coalition support it. He added that he wanted a right-wing cabinet and less immigration.

Persons: Geert Wilders, Long, Wilders, ”, “, ” Mr, Wilders’s Organizations: Wilders’s Party for Freedom Locations: Netherlands

☆ A Dutch Quandary Offers a Glimpse of a Deepening Problem for Europe
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-11 | by ( Claire Moses | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Just months ago, Geert Wilders was an anathema to most Dutch political parties. A disruptive and divisive force on the far right for two decades, Mr. Wilders has said he wants to end immigration from Muslim countries, tax head scarves and ban the Quran. But then Mr. Wilders won national elections convincingly in November. Since then, Mr. Wilders has become an unavoidable political force. “He is the biggest,” said Janka Stoker, a professor of leadership and organizational change at the University of Groningen, of Mr. Wilders.

Persons: Geert Wilders, Wilders, ”, Janka Stoker, “ Organizations: Party, Freedom, European Union, University of Groningen

☆ Dutch far-right Geert Wilders' hopes of becoming prime minister sink after coalition talks collapse
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Karen Gilchrist | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

LONDON — Far-right Dutch lawmaker Geert Wilders' hopes of becoming prime minister of the Netherlands are dwindling after coalition talks fell into disarray Tuesday. Wilders took to social media Tuesday evening to berate Omtzigt's withdrawal, calling the decision "incredibly disappointing." I don't understand it at all," Wilders wrote in a post on X, according to a Google translation. However, former Labor Party minister Ronald Plasterk, who has been leading the talks, earlier flagged finances as a major sticking point in talks. Alternatively, if no combination of parties can agree to form a coalition, a new election could be called.

Persons: Geert Wilders, Pieter Omtzigt, vexing Wilders, Wilders, Omtzigt's, Omtzigt, Mark Rutte, Caroline van der Plas, Ronald Plasterk, European Union —, Plasterk, Frans Timmermans Organizations: Party for Freedom, NSC, BBB, Labor, Reuters, European Union, Labour, Green Locations: Netherlands, Dutch, Europe

The Netherlands wants this cabinet and now Pieter Omtzigt is throwing in the towel while we were still in discussions until today. Since the election, Wilders’ Party for Freedom has since risen even further in polls, with some suggesting he could win 50 seats if new elections were held. “It is a total surprise to us that Pieter Omtzigt (NSC) has decided to leave the table and stop talking. The four parties that were involved in the talks hold a total of 88 seats — a comfortable majority in the lower house. Talks, however, have been tough, with Omtzigt voicing reservations from the outset about some of Wilders’ policies.

Persons: —, Geert Wilders, Pieter Omtzigt, Wilders, Omtzigt, ”, Ronald Plasterk, Plasterk, Mark Rutte, Caroline van der, “ I'm, Dilan Yeşilgöz, Zegerius, “, ” Van der Plas Organizations: New, Labor Party, Party, Freedom, NSC, People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy, Farmer Citizen Locations: HAGUE, Netherlands

☆ Advance of far-right parties is the ‘biggest concern’ for Western democracies, Spain’s Prime Minister says
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-17 | by ( Vicky Mckeever | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Spanish acting Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez during the investiture debate at the Spanish Parliament on Nov. 15, 2023 in Madrid, Spain. The rise of far-right political groups is the "biggest concern" for Western democracies, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez told CNBC. "I think that not only the [political] fragmentation, but the advance of the far-right, it is something … I would say [it is] the biggest concern for Western democracies," Sanchez said at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. His comments come in a year set to bring voters to the polls in several countries worldwide, which will include European Parliament elections in June. In France, Marine Le Pen's National Rally party has grown in popularity in the polls, while Geert Wilders' Freedom Party recorded a decisive victory in Netherlands' general elections in November.

Persons: Pedro Sanchez, Pedro Sánchez, Sanchez, Geert Wilders Organizations: Spanish, CNBC, Economic, Freedom Party Locations: Madrid, Spain, Davos, Switzerland, France, Netherlands

☆ Dutch Senate Defies Prospective Government Parties Over Migration Law
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-16 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Bart H. MeijerAMSTERDAM (Reuters) - The Dutch Senate will support a law to evenly spread asylum seekers over municipalities in the Netherlands, despite strong resistance from far-right election winner Geert Wilders' Freedom Party and other parties looking to form a new government. In the end, Rutte's own party members in the Senate made a surprising U-turn on Tuesday and said they would support the law, giving it a decisive majority in the upper chamber. If they reach an agreement, they would be forced to deal with the law that the Senate is now set to officially adopt on Jan. 23. "My god," Wilders said in a post on X in response to news about the VVD's Senate decision. Ruben Brekelmans, a VVD lawmaker in the lower chamber, said he wished his Senate colleagues had waited for an agreement on stricter migration policies before handling the spread of asylum seekers.

Persons: Bart H, Geert Wilders, Wilders, Mark Rutte, Ruben Brekelmans, Bart Meijer, Paul Simao Organizations: Meijer, Dutch, Freedom Party, Party, Senate Locations: Netherlands

With 23% of the vote, Wilders stands a good chance of leading any future governing coalition. In the Netherlands, forming a majority coalition with Wilders' party was considered unthinkable not long ago. "And Wilders took off in the polls.”In December, a member of Wilders' party became president of parliament, marking a breakthrough in political acceptance. There is now a real prospect of his far-right party joining, or even leading, a majority governing coalition. Rather than far-right parties being pulled to the center, the center may veer to the right.

Persons: SINT, ”, Geert Wilders, Wilders, ’ ”, Rem Korteweg, “, Walter de Jong, De Jong, Mark Rutte, Tom Theuns, ” Wilders, Theuns, ” Theuns, Jean, Marie Le Pen, Le Pen’s, —, North Africa —, Mark Rutte's, Frans Timmermans Organizations: Party, Freedom, European Union, EU, Party for Freedom, Rabobank, “, Leiden University, National, Frontex, ”, Pulitzer Center, Crisis Locations: SINT WILLEBRORD, Netherlands, Willebrord, Europe, Germany, France, Spain, Sweden, Austria, The Hague, Hungary, Serbia, Poland, Rucphen, Sint Willebrord, Ukraine, Soviet, Syria, Turkey, Belgium, Dutch, North Africa, EU

☆ Far-right parties eye gains in next year's EU parliament elections
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-03 | by ( Alvise Armellini | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

ROME, Dec 3 (Reuters) - European far-right parties met in Italy on Sunday vowing to reshape the European Union after next year's European Parliament elections, toughening the bloc's approach on immigration and softening its climate policies to protect jobs and industry. Parties from around a dozen countries gathered in Florence, galvanised by last month's general elections in the Netherlands, which handed a surprise win to Geert Wilders' anti-immigration Freedom Party (PVV). The far-right Identity and Democracy (ID) group is now the sixth-largest in the EU assembly, also behind liberal, green and conservative groups, but current polling data place it in fourth position. Salvini, who has failed to include in his alliance Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and her poll-leading Brothers of Italy party, fronted a previous unsuccessful push in 2019 for a far-right breakthrough in EU elections. Wilders hailed Salvini, leader of the League party, as an inspiration and his "number one Italian friend."

Persons: Geert Wilders, Matteo Salvini, Salvini, Giorgia Meloni, Wilders, Tino Chrupalla, Jordan Bardella, righters, Chrupalla, Harald Vilimsky, Vladimir Putin, Chizu Organizations: European Union, Party, League, Marine, Austrian Freedom Party, Thomson Locations: Italy, European, Florence, galvanised, Netherlands, Europe, Germany, Africa, Austrian, Russia, Ukraine, Israel

Listen to and follow ‘Matter of Opinion’Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon MusicStrongmen are making a comeback. The hyperlibertarian Javier Milei in Argentina and the anti-immigration Geert Wilders in the Netherlands are among a growing group of recently elected leaders who promise to break a few rules, shake up democratic institutions and spread a populist message. Or is there something else behind the appeal of these misbehaving men with wild hair? This week on “Matter of Opinion,” the hosts debate where the urge to turn to strongmen is coming from and whether it’s such a bad thing after all. Plus, young listeners share their formative political moments, even in the middle of class.

Persons: Javier Milei, Geert Wilders Organizations: Spotify Locations: Argentina, Netherlands

☆ Netherlands politician Wilders says minority cabinet an option
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw Acquire Licensing RightsAMSTERDAM, Nov 29 (Reuters) - Dutch politician Geert Wilders on Wednesday said that forming a minority government with himself as prime minister is one possibility, following last week's election in which his Freedom Party (PVV) won the most seats. The possibility of a minority cabinet arose shortly after the election when the conservative VVD Party of outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte -- which shares many of Wilders' anti-immigration positions -- said it would not join a Wilders-led Cabinet but did not exclude offering it outside support. Wilders, whose party took around 24% of the vote, will need to work with at least two more moderate parties to form a coalition. That is the "logical, right combination," Wilders said, adding that the most important thing was that the parties agreed to talks on how they might cooperate. The scout will meet with the NSC and VVD party leaders later on Wednesday.

Persons: Geert Wilders, de Wouw, Wilders, Mark Rutte, Pieter Omtzigt, Toby Sterling, Bernadette Baum Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Party, VVD Party, VVD, Farmer, Citizen Movement, Thomson Locations: The Hague, Netherlands, Dutch

"I feel really alone and if somebody with the status of an elected official can’t be protected then how must others feel?” said Omar. Official data shows a significant, smaller increase in anti-Muslim incidents in Britain and is patchy for the other two countries. "The vast majority of Muslims do not file a complaint when they are victims of such acts. A spokesperson for France's national police acknowledged data on anti-Muslim incidents was "incomplete", and relied on victims filing a complaint. For some Muslims in Germany, which has welcomed about a million Syrians and just under 400,000 Afghans in recent years, rising hostility came as a surprise.

Persons: Jian Omar, Lisi Niesner, ”, Omar, Zara Mohammed, Geert Wilders, Ben Badis, Rachid Abdouni, Khalil Raboun, Tell Mama, Mama, Abdallah Zekri, Zekri, Rima Hanano, Gerald Darmanin, Reza Zia, Emmanuel Macron, Zia, Ebrahimi, fomented, Aiman, Germany's, Reem Alabali, Radovan, Ghalia Zaghal, Zaghal, Layli Foroudi, Thomas Escritt, Sarah Marsh, Andrew MacAskill, Frank Jack Daniel Our Organizations: Hamas, REUTERS, Reuters, Muslim Council of, Ministers, Local, French Muslim Council, HISTORY, Kings College London, Amnesty, German Muslim Council, Thomson Locations: German, Kurdish, Israel, Palestinian, Berlin, Germany, BERLIN, LONDON, Europe, Gaza, London, France, Britain, Muslim Council of Britain, British, Dutch, Netherlands, United States, Nanterre, Paris, French, Moroccan, Western, Syria

☆ Fact Check: Wilders must form coalition to be Dutch PM
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

“Congratulations to Geert Wilders who has won the 2023 General Election in the Netherlands to become the new Dutch Prime Minister,” wrote one Facebook Page (archived). Other Facebook posts (archived) said Wilders was “elected Prime Minister”, which, as of Nov. 28, is not the case. Wilders won the most seats for his Freedom Party (PVV) in the Nov. 22 election and now seeks to form a government with himself as leader. Dutch coalition talks usually take months and parties’ positions and willingness to work with each other can evolve over time, Reuters reported. Dutch far-right politician Geert Wilders won the most seats in the Nov. 22 election but must first form a coalition, which could take months, to be prime minister.

Persons: Geert Wilders, ”, Wilders, Gom van Strien, Read Organizations: Dutch, Freedom Party, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Netherlands, Dutch

☆ Week after shock Wilders win, Dutch government talks set to begin
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Bart Meijer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Dutch far-right politician and leader of the PVV party Geert Wilders reacts as he meets the press as Dutch parties' lead candidates meet for the first time after elections, in which far-right politician Geert Wilders booked major gains, to begin coalition talks in The Hague, Netherlands, November 24, 2023. The appointment of Ronald Plasterk, a former Labour party minister, as "scout" to explore possibilities followed a chaotic week in which outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte's conservative VVD party ruled out joining a government led by Wilders - narrowing the options for the election winner. Wilders' PVV was the clear winner in the Nov. 22 election, but with just 24% of the vote it needs support from more moderate parties in order to form a government. Wilders' first pick as scout had to resign before his first meeting after reports he was fighting a fraud charge. The Labour/GreenLeft combination, which was the runner-up in the election, has ruled out working with Wilders in any way.

Persons: Geert Wilders, Ronald Plasterk, Mark Rutte's, Wilders, PVV, Vera Bergkamp, Plasterk, Dilan Yesilogz, Pieter Omtzigt, Bart Meijer, Frances Kerry Organizations: REUTERS, Labour, Freedom Party, GreenLeft, Thomson Locations: The Hague, Netherlands, AMSTERDAM

☆ The Way Geert Wilders Won - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Paul Tullis | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

“He is a straight talker and tells it like it is,” a 23-year-old Rotterdam waitress told The Guardian. Mr. Wilders has promised to bring down housing prices by building more apartments (as has virtually every other party) and to prioritize Dutch citizens for public housing. Mr. Wilders does not have a record of working well with others; coalitions typically require smaller parties to shave off their more extreme positions, which Mr. Wilders has in the past refused to do. His Party for Freedom hasn’t been in government since 2012 — and the head of the People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy, Dilan Yesilgoz-Zegerius, announced Friday morning she would not join a cabinet with Mr. Wilders. “We have to be more forward-thinking and listen to people everywhere.”Perhaps there is hope yet for the polder model.

Persons: Wilders’s, Wilders, Freedom hasn’t, Dilan, Timmermans, Rob Jetten, Harold Zoet, ”, “ Organizations: Guardian, Party, Freedom, People’s Party for Freedom and, Left, Labor, People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy, statehouse Locations: Rotterdam

☆ New ECB rating agency Scope puts greater weight on euro zone protection mechanisms
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( Marc Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

While the euro zone has pledged to do "whatever it takes" and jointly issued debt for the first time during the pandemic, its debt load remains eye-watering. Scope assigns Italy a "stable" outlook, but "risks remain", Shen said, "given the weak growth and fiscal outlook". Reuters GraphicsNEXT CRISISThe ECB uses the best rating available from its approved agencies to determine a bond's collateral value when commercial banks borrow from it. Last week's Dutch election win by the far-right Geert Wilders could also have rating implications, Shen said. "Governance risks are a challenge in the longer run for one of the world’s remaining AAA-rated sovereigns...But the rating is not imminently at risk."

Persons: Yorgos, Moody's, Dennis Shen, Fitch, DBRS Morningstar, Shen, DBRS, bode, Geert Wilders, Marc Jones, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: REUTERS, Companies, AAA, European Central Bank, Reuters, Reuters Graphics NEXT, ECB, Thomson Locations: Athens, Italy, France, Berlin, U.S, Greece, Spain, Portugal, Cyprus, Rome, Canada, Dutch

☆ In setback, Wilders' first post-election appointee resigns
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The swift departure of Gom van Strien, appointed on Friday by Wilders, underlines the difficulties ahead for coalition talks as Wilders seeks to form a government with himself as prime minister. "Therefore I have informed Geert Wilders and the chairwoman of parliament I will lay down my work as scout immediately," he said in a statement. Wilders' PVV booked major gains in the Nov. 22 election. Van Strien had been due to meet with VVD leader Dilan Yesilgoz on Monday. Newspaper NRC Handelsblad first reported on Saturday that Van Strien was sued in March by a subsidiary of Utrecht University over alleged fraud.

Persons: Geert Wilders, Wilders, Van Strien, Gom van Strien, PVV, Mark Rutte, Dilan Yesilgoz, Pieter Omtzigt, Toby Sterling, Peter Graff, Bernadette Baum Organizations: REUTERS, Freedom Party, VVD Party, NSC Party, NRC, Utrecht University, Thomson Locations: The Hague, Netherlands, AMSTERDAM, Dutch, Wilders

☆ EU is ill-equipped to meet growing global threats
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( Hugo Dixon | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

The snag is that EU countries are ever more reluctant to give up their right to block collective actions. Meanwhile, rivalry between the United States and China – and a green subsidy race between the world's two largest economies – is undermining the world trading system. The response of EU countries to the Gaza conflict has also been shambolic, both individually and collectively. Yet EU countries are also grappling with nationalistic currents, the latest demonstration of which is last week’s election victory by Geert Wilders, the Dutch politician who has long campaigned on an anti-immigrant and anti-EU ticket. But it is not clear that EU countries want to find a way to speed up collective decision-making.

Persons: Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, Geert Wilders, Olivier Costa, Jan Zielonka, Erik Jones, keener, Annalena, Shahin Vallée, Peter Thal Larsen, Streisand Neto, Thomas Shum Organizations: Reuters, European, NATO, EU, United Nations General Assembly, Franco, Britain, IF, College of Europe, Oxford University, European University Institute, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, United States, China, EU, People's Republic, Gaza, Dutch, Washington, Beijing, Germany, France, Denmark, United Kingdom, Berlin, Franco, Russia

☆ Dutch politician Wilders vows 'I will be prime minister' on X
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Dutch far-right politician and leader of the PVV party, Geert Wilders gestures as he meets with members of his party at the Dutch Parliament, after the Dutch parliamentary elections, in The Hague, Netherlands November 23, 2023. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsAMSTERDAM, Nov 25 (Reuters) - Veteran Dutch anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders on Saturday vowed to be prime minister of the Netherlands eventually, following an election in which his party won the most seats. "Today, tomorrow or the day after, the PVV will be part of government and I will be prime minister of this beautiful country," Wilders wrote. Although Wilders' Freedom Party (PVV) finished well ahead of rivals in the Nov. 22 vote on an anti-immigration platform, his party is forecast to take only 25% of the seats in Dutch parliament. On Friday, the conservative VVD Party of caretaker Prime Minister Mark Rutte, which shares many of Wilders' views on immigration, said it would not participate in a cabinet with him.

Persons: Geert Wilders, Yves Herman, Wilders, Mark Rutte, Dilan Yesilgoz, Pieter Omtzigt, Toby Sterling, Christina Fincher Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Veteran, Freedom Party, VVD Party, Party, Thomson Locations: The Hague, Netherlands, Veteran Dutch, Dutch

Now, hundreds of migrants from the Middle East and Africa have appeared at Finland's border from Russia, seeking entry into the Nordic country. They accuse Russia of driving the migrants to the border to sow discord as payback for Finland's membership in NATO. Finnish authorities quickly closed four checkpoints and then three more, leaving just one Arctic crossing point open for asylum-seekers. Finland also asked for help from EU border agency Frontex, which said it would send dozens of officers and equipment as reinforcements to the Finnish border. The Kremlin denies encouraging the migrants, and says it regrets the Finnish border closures.

Persons: Elina Valtonen, Petteri Orpo, Maria Zakharova, Valtonen, Russia’s, ”, Klaus Dodds, ” Dodds, Ylva Johansson, Sauli Niinistö, Alexander Lukashenko, Evika Siliņa, Siliņa, Lukashenko, Vladimir Putin, “, Geert Wilders, Orpo’s, Vanessa Gera Organizations: HELSINKI, —, NATO, Nordic, Associated Press, HOW, EU, Frontex, Russian Foreign Ministry, Royal Holloway, University of London, VU EU Home Affairs, Belarus —, Latvian, AP, Poland’s, Guard Locations: Finland, Russia, East, Africa, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Finnish, FINLAND, Helsinki, Belarus, Europe, Moscow, Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Baltic, Netherlands, Finns, Lapland, Murmansk, Warsaw

☆ The Wilders Message From the Netherlands
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( The Editorial Board | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Journal Editorial Report: The week’s best and worst from Kim Strassel, Kyle Peterson, Mary O'Grady and Dan Henninger. Images: AP/AFP/Getty Images/Reuters/Zuma Press Composite: Mark KellyDutch elections rarely stir much excitement abroad, but the voting in the Netherlands Wednesday marks an exception. The big winner was Geert Wilders , a veteran right-wing campaigner, and the freakout his victory has triggered across Europe is something to behold. His next nearest competitor, a Labor-Green coalition led by Frans Timmermans , won 25 seats. Politicians will now negotiate to form a governing coalition, a process that often takes months in the Netherlands’ highly fragmented electoral system, and Mr. Wilders may not emerge as prime minister.

Persons: Kim Strassel, Kyle Peterson, Mary O'Grady, Dan Henninger, Mark Kelly Dutch, Geert Wilders, Frans Timmermans, Wilders Organizations: Getty, Zuma, Freedom Party, Labor, Green Locations: Netherlands, Europe

☆ Far-Right Anti-Islamic Populist Scores Major Victory in Dutch Election
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Wall Street Journal | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Far-Right Anti-Islamic Populist Scores Major Victory in Dutch ElectionDutch anti-Islamic populist Geert Wilders and his Freedom Party scored a major election victory Thursday. Wilders campaigned to ban the Quran and close the borders to migrants from Islamic countries. Photo: Remko de Waal/AFP/Getty Images

Persons: Geert Wilders, Wilders Organizations: Freedom Party, Getty Locations: Dutch, Waal, AFP

☆ Amsterdam crowd protests against discrimination after Dutch far-right win
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Esther Verkaik | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Wilders, who is now trying to build a governing coalition, has vowed to close Dutch borders to immigrants and cut spending on climate change, cultural and foreign development programmes. "I feel sad about the election results ... And I'm really worried about our country," said Sara Coster. Another demonstrator, Jan Jaap van Oosterzee, 62, said he felt Wilders' win was "against every thing we're standing for, and that I'm personally standing for". Wilders party "stands for exclusion of my colleagues, of my children, of denying climate change," he said. Muslims, who make up around 5% of the Dutch population of almost 18 million people, have expressed shock at the election result.

Persons: Geert Wilders, Wilders, I'm, Sara Coster, Jaap van Oosterzee, Oosterzee, Toby Sterling, Alexander Smith Organizations: Social, Freedom Party, Amnesty International, Greenpeace, Thomson Locations: Amsterdam, Netherlands, AMSTERDAM, Solidarity

☆ Dutch parties position for tough coalition talks after Wilders' shock poll win
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Tosterling Bart H. Meijer | Bart H. Meijer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/6] Dutch parties' lead candidates meet for the first time after elections, in which far-right politician Geert Wilders booked major gains, to begin coalition talks in The Hague, Netherlands, November 24, 2023. In a foretaste of how difficult coalition building talks may prove after Wednesday's election, outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte's conservative VVD Party on Friday ruled out joining a cabinet led by Wilders' Freedom Party (PVV). Wilders' election win led to protests in several cities. Wilders named Gom van Strien, a member of his own party in the Dutch Senate, as scout. Should Wilders' efforts eventually fail, other parties could try to build a more centrist coalition without him.

Persons: Geert Wilders, de Wouw, right's Wilders, Wilders, Mark Rutte's, Dilan Yesilgoz, Gom van Strien, Pieter Omtzigt, Caroline van der Plas, wouldn't, Van Strien, Van Strien's, Toby Sterling, Bart Meijer, Ingrid Melander, Nick Macfie, Toby Chopra, Susan Fenton Organizations: REUTERS, Party, AMSTERDAM, Freedom Party, EU, Labour, Green, Greenpeace, Dutch Senate, New, European Union, Farmer, Citizen Movement, Thomson Locations: The Hague, Netherlands, Dutch

☆ Morning Bid: Giving thanks you're not in China stocks
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., September 26, 2023. A four-day ceasefire between Israel and Hamas appeared to be holding shakily on Friday with no major reports of attacks, although both sides were accused of violations. The decline marked yet another investor shrug at reports of further official moves to shore up China's ailing property sector. In Europe, data showed Germany's economy shrank slightly in the third quarter, confirming an initial estimate of a 0.1% fall. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Mike Dolan, shrug, didn't, Christian Lindner, Geert Wilders, Luis de Guindos, Pablo Hernandez de Cos, Nick Macfie Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Stock, Mainland Properties, Bloomberg, Nvidia, Finance, Britain's Barclays, Central Bank, Bank of Spain, PMI Reuters Graphics Reuters, Reuters, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, Wall, Israel, OPEC, United States, Friday's, Beijing, Taiwan, China, Europe, British

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