The Netherlands as a role model

When the right rules: The “Geert Wilders model”

Geert Wilders at the polls in 2023

(Bild: AFP)

In the fall of 2023, the right-wing populist Geert Wilders and his PVV won the early elections in the Netherlands. The party won 37 out of 150 seats. Wilders initially only had one problem: nobody wanted to form a coalition with him. But he had a solution for that.

Geert Wilders has attracted attention in recent years with some very extreme statements about migrants and Muslim citizens in particular, outdoing even Herbert Kickl with his rhetoric. However, like the FPÖ leader, Wilders kept such a low profile during the election campaign that he was even nicknamed "Milders".