Beware the ides of March: Dutch poll could boost Le Pen

He said: “We must answer back”.

Amid unprecedented worldwide attention, the Dutch go to the polls Wednesday in a parliamentary election that is seen as a bellwether for the future of populism in a year of crucial votes in Europe.

If Dutch far-right populist leader Geert Wilders is to be believed, the Netherlands is struggling to cope with existential threats to its way of life.

“He is avoiding all the [mainstream] media”.

The prime ministers’ party is not the only political party stating publicly that it will never form a coalition with the far right leader. Dutch pundits and pollsters say that, unlike Trump, Wilders will definitely not win power. “I mean, Wilders has been doing this for 10 years or more”.

Making the Netherlands great again?

Wilders has made headlines and drawn condemnation for more than a decade for his anti-Islam rhetoric, which has included comparing the Quran with Adolf Hitler’s “Mein Kampf” and calling for a tax on the veils some Muslim women wear.

The left-wing Greens, led by 33-year-old Jesse Klaver of Moroccan, Dutch and Indonesian descent, have also gained significant strength.

Kortenoeven left the PVV in 2012 – unhappy, he says, with Wilders authoritarian style of leadership.

His one-page election manifesto is light on economic policy and heavy on pledges to “de-Islamize” the Netherlands, a nation of 17 million where an estimated 5 percent of the adult population is Muslim.

The move rightward in Europe is getting a helpful boost from Turkey. Rutte’s government denied a Turkish minister from landing in the Holland, on his way to a rally ahead of Turkey’s constitutional referendum.

Global concerns over the election have been stoked over the past week when a diplomatic confrontation with Turkey spilled onto the streets of Rotterdam, prompting riot police to use water cannon on protesters. After a long night of celebrating, Prime Minister Mark Rutte geared up for hard negotiations with future coalition partners. Wilders accused Rutte for being “the prime minister of the foreigners”, prioritising immigrants over Dutch citizens.

The Dutch political spectrum is fragmented, with 28 parties standing in this election.

Wilders, who was convicted past year of incitement to discrimination, advocates an array of controversial positions including “de-Islamising Europe” that have ostracised him from mainstream politicians in the country. Due to the fragmented electorate and the exclusion of Wilders’ party, a new ruling coalition could possibly involve four or more political parties. Most mainstream Dutch parties have become more hostile to immigration. But if he gets the most votes, it will be a bit of a shot in the arm for populist – other populists in Europe, like Marine Le Pen of the National Front in France. “If that happens, will you resign as Liberal party leader?”. “Don’t scare scare people about the United Kingdom economy, it’s better than ever”, he said. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte denounced Mr Erdogan’s comments as “crazy” and “way out of line”. In September, Alternative for Germany, an eurosceptic party, is likely to win seats for the first time in the German federal parliament. His dark curls have led to some comparisons with Canada’s Justin Trudeau. In typical tweet, Wilders posted a photo of a woman wearing a headscarf holding a Turkish flag, writing in Dutch, “For decades [we’ve had] open borders, mass immigration… zero integration, dual nationality”.

“I want The Netherlands to be the first country which stops this trend of the wrong sort of populism”, Mr Rutte told reporters before the debate.

“There is support among voters of all parties for the performance of Mark Rutte” in the crisis, I&O said in a commentary to the poll.