Exit polls in the Netherlands give victory to the far-right Freedom Party

MADRID, 23 (EUROPA PRESS)

The Freedom Party (PVV), with far-right ideology and anti-immigration, stands as the most voted force with 35 seats in the parliamentary elections held this Wednesday in the Netherlands, according to exit polls.

The formation led by Geert Wilders would manage to double its deputies and would prevail over the coalition formed by the Labor Party and the Greens (GL-PvdA), which would also improve its results, going from 17 to 36 deputies in the Lower House, reports NOS.

In fact, Wilders has reacted quickly to the publication of the exit poll and has shared a video on his social networks in which, in front of a screen with the results, he celebrates that his party is the most voted in the elections.

"We are the party with the most votes in the Netherlands, and I assure you that the voters have spoken," said Wilders himself, who has assured that the Dutch "will come first again" and has made contacts with other parties to form a government.

"The PVV wants to work with other parties from a great position, and that means that each party, including ours, must jump over its shadow," said the leader of the far-right party.

For his part, the leader of GL-PvdA, Frans Timmermans, has asserted that they will never form a coalition "with a party that excludes the Dutch", alluding to the PVV, and has expressed disappointment with the result: "I expected more ", he argued, after seeing that his party would obtain 25 seats.

"We continue to defend the rule of law, shoulder to shoulder," he told his supporters after giving his "heartfelt thanks" to the "voters who have given their trust to the united left and have opted for a fair and just Netherlands." equitable".

After the PVV and GL-PvdA, the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) of the acting Prime Minister, Mark Rutte, and now led by Dilan Yesilgoz, would see its parliamentary representation noticeably reduced, going from 34 to 24 seats.

Yesilgoz, current Minister of Justice and daughter of Turkish refugees, has stated that she does not want to be part of a cabinet with Wilders as prime minister, considering that he cannot form a majority, although she has indicated that "now it is his turn and he must show that he can form that majority."

Likewise, he has stated that his political party has not made a strategic mistake: "These are the concerns of people who have not been heard. If you continue to ignore them in politics, you will get this. That is what is happening here," he added.

For its part, the New Social Contract (NSC), with Pieter Omtzigt, emerges with 20 seats in the Dutch Lower House, although far from the result predicted in the polls, which placed it as one of the formations destined to revolutionize national politics.

The NSC has acknowledged being "happy and proud" of these possible results, which would put the Netherlands fully into "a new era." However, they have stressed that the PVV's victory is "a gigantic shock."

The majority of seats in the next legislature in the Netherlands would be held by these four parties. Behind them appear Democrats 66 (D66), with ten seats, or the Peasant-Citizen Movement (BBB), with seven.

Christian Democratic Call (CDA) would have five deputies; the Party for the Animals (PvdD) would achieve another four; the Forum for Democracy (FvD), the Christian Union (CU) and the Reformed Political Party (SGP) would win three seats each.

The leader of the PvdD, Esther Ouwehand, was disappointed by the results: "We have to face this and continue fighting tirelessly," she said. For his part, the leader of the SGP, Chris Stoffer, has celebrated that they have maintained the seats they had.

Volt and Denk would win two seats, while 50Plus and JA21 would get one deputy each. If the exit polls are true, the BIJ1 and the Netherlands Interest party (BVNL) would be left out of the Dutch House of Representatives.

Denk's leader, Van Baarle van Denk, said that the PVV's victory "causes fear among many people." "We will form a shield against far-right rhetoric and we will fight for the minorities of this country from day one," he stated.

The House of Representatives of the Netherlands is made up of 150 deputies, so the PVV would have to achieve the support of several parties to reach the 76 deputies that would guarantee it being able to succeed Rutte as head of the Dutch Executive.

The population of the Netherlands voted this Wednesday in early parliamentary elections, called after Prime Minister Rutte announced the dissolution of the Government last summer due to internal disputes over immigration.

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