Wilders: "A glorious day for the Netherlands" (Update: Willing to compromise)

Wilders: "A glorious day for the Netherlands"

Pre-election polls showed him with 18 seats, but Geert Wilders surprised everybody and is set to get 24.

The coalition talks are expected to take some time. Would the PVV be in the next government? Take the poll below.

This article was prepared by the Islam in Europe blog - islamineurope.blogspot.com

"It's not only a fantastic day for the party, but a glorious day for all of the Netherlands," PVV leader Geert Wilders said last night in a speech to his supporters in Scheveningen, where his party held their election gathering.

The PVV went up from nine to 22 seats [now 24]. "It means that we're definitely the biggest winners today, yes!" This total number of seats means that about 1.5 million Dutch voted for his party, Wilders said. "More security, less immigration and less Islam is what the Netherlands voted for."

Wilders repeated that didn't plan to sit in the opposition again. He wants to govern. "The PVV is now also a factor of importance in national politics. Nobody can go around the PVV anymore."

"Tomorrow morning at 11am we'll have our first fraction gathering and I tell all candidates now: take a battering ram with you, because we're going to get cracking!"

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It wouldn't be democratic, Wilders said, if the PVV would be excluded from the coalition talks in advance. "We want to govern."

In an interview on NOS, Wilders said he wants a big position in the new cabinet. NOS had organized a debate with the party leaders, but none showed up, since it wasn't clear who won the elections. The debate therefore turned into a one-on-one interview.

Wilders said he had hoped for 25 seats. He prefers a cabinet with the VVD and CDA. During the night it wasn't clear if such a coalition would have a majority. Asked about the SGP as an additional partner, he said it wasn't his preferred option, but he wouldn't exclude it. The PVV would really like to govern and so sometimes you need to compromise, he said.


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The Belgian Vlaams Belang congratulated Wilders on the elections results. Wilders' score in the exit-poll is remarkable, says the Flemish nationalist party.

The VB says that election issues such as security and immigration are buried away by the politicians and media." The voters have a 'took a clear position against unbridled immigration, creeping Islamization and increasing crime," said party heads Bruno Valkeniers and Filip Dewinter.


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Mark Rutte (VVD) already announced his victory, but in a voter survey by Synovate 26% of the voters want the PvdA head Job Cohen to be prime minister. 24% want Rutte and 12% want the previous PM, Jan Peter Balkenende.

Sources: Telegraaf 1, 2, 3, Trouw (Dutch)

Update 1:

Before the elections Wilders said that increasing the pension age is a point he wouldn't compromise upon, a point the liberals weren't willing to back down from. Today he changed his tune (NL)., and said that it will not prevent the PVV from joining a coalition with the VVD.