Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders announced Tuesday that he is pulling his Party for Freedom (PVV) out of the ruling coalition, a move that is expected to topple the center-right government less than a year after its formation.
Wilders, a vocal supporter of Israel and a fierce opponent of Muslim immigration to Europe, said his party's ministers would resign after coalition partners failed to adopt his sweeping immigration reform plan.
The announcement comes a week after Wilders unveiled a 10-point proposal that included a total ban on new asylum seekers and the deportation of tens of thousands of Syrian refugees. He warned at the time that failure to implement the plan would trigger his party’s exit from the coalition.
“No signature for our asylum plans. No adjustment of the Main Lines Agreement. PVV leaves the coalition,” Wilders curtly declared on X on Tuesday, ending a coalition that had been in power for just 11 months.
Dutch political analysts say the move all but guarantees snap elections in the coming months, ushering in a period of political uncertainty in the eurozone’s fifth-largest economy. While the remaining coalition parties could theoretically attempt to govern as a minority, they are not expected to do so.
Wilders, often labeled a far-right populist, has long campaigned against immigration, particularly from Muslim-majority countries. Despite spending years in opposition, his party caused a political upset in the November 2023 elections, winning the largest share of votes but falling short of an outright majority.
After months of coalition talks, Wilders agreed last July to join a center-right alliance with three other parties. To secure the coalition deal, he gave up a bid to become prime minister, allowing outsider Dick Schoof to take the role. Wilders himself did not serve in the cabinet, but PVV members were appointed to ministerial posts.
While the coalition had agreed in principle to curb immigration, Wilders grew increasingly frustrated in recent months, accusing his partners of dragging their feet. He also recently criticized the Dutch government’s stance on the war in Gaza. Like several other European countries, the Netherlands has grown more critical of Israel’s military operations. Wilders blasted Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp, calling him “weak,” after Veldkamp pushed for suspending the European Union’s partnership agreement with Israel.
'It makes all of us look foolish'
Wilders’ controversial 10-point immigration plan includes sweeping demands such as a ban on all new asylum seekers, deployment of the military to the borders and a temporary halt to family reunification for those already granted asylum in the Netherlands.
Among his most contentious proposals is the forced repatriation of 60,000 Syrian refugees. Wilders claimed most of Syria is now “safe enough” following the end of the civil war and the fall of the Assad regime. The plan also calls for the deportation of any migrant convicted of sexual or violent offenses. “One offense—and you're out,” he said.
In a press conference last week, Wilders said his patience was wearing thin due to what he called the government's inaction on immigration. He criticized the existing coalition measures—agreed upon last October—which included reintroducing border checks, shortening the validity of temporary visas and limiting the number of family members who can join asylum seekers in the country.
“We’ve reached the limit,” Wilders declared. “These steps aren't enough to tip the scale.” He vowed to “take the gloves off” and demanded harsher measures within weeks. “Our patience has run out. We won't wait any longer," he added.
On Tuesday, Dilan Yeşilgöz, leader of the People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) and a coalition partner, condemned Wilders’ decision to pull out of the government. “I’m shocked,” she said, calling the move “utterly irresponsible” in light of the challenges facing both the Netherlands and Europe. “It makes all of us look foolish. There is a war on our continent,” she added, referring to the conflict in Ukraine. “Instead of meeting the moment, Wilders is showing he doesn’t want to lead.”
Wilders’ departure also comes just three weeks before the Netherlands is set to host a NATO summit in The Hague, with leaders from across the alliance expected to attend. The country will now do so under a caretaker government, a development likely to delay a long-anticipated decision on a historic increase in Dutch defense spending to meet NATO's new budget targets.
Recent polling suggests that Wilders’ support has slipped since he entered government. He now polls at around 20%—roughly on par with the Green-Labour alliance, the second-largest bloc in the current Dutch parliament.
Called Prophet Muhammad a 'pedophile'
Geert Wilders, 61, was first elected to the Dutch parliament in 1998 and became widely known in Europe and beyond for his hardline stance against Islam and Muslims. For years, he has lived under heavy security due to his inflammatory statements. Among other remarks, he has called the Prophet Muhammad a “pedophile” and described Islam as a “fascist ideology” and a “retarded religion.” He has also called for banning the Quran and outlawing mosques in the Netherlands, which he referred to as “Nazi temples.”
Get the Ynetnews app on your smartphone: Google Play: https://bit.ly/4eJ37pE | Apple App Store: https://bit.ly/3ZL7iNv
Wilders’ anti-Islam campaign gained momentum in 2004, after the murder of filmmaker Theo van Gogh by a Dutch-Moroccan extremist. Van Gogh was targeted for creating a film critical of Islam—a project in which Wilders took part.
His statements and actions have sparked violent protests in several Muslim-majority countries, including Egypt, Indonesia and Pakistan. A Pakistani cleric even issued a fatwa, or religious ruling, against him. In 2014, a Dutch court convicted Wilders of discrimination after he asked a crowd at a campaign rally whether they wanted “more or fewer Moroccans,” to which they chanted “fewer!” and he responded, “We’ll take care of that.” On another occasion, he said “Moroccan scum” were making Dutch streets unsafe.
5 View gallery
Wilders celebrates the 2023 election exit polls in his office, an Israeli flag can be seen in the background
(Photo: via X)
Wilders’ hostility toward Islam has been matched by strong support for Israel. He has declared that Jordan is the Palestinian state and suggested that renaming it “Palestine” would resolve the Middle East conflict by giving Palestinians a national homeland.
A 2017 CNN profile noted that Wilders likely formed his views on Islam during his travels in the Middle East in the early 1980s, when he visited Syria, Iran and Egypt, and spent a year volunteering at Moshav Tomer in Israel, where he worked growing vegetables and grapes.
"I have visited many countries in the Middle East—Syria, Egypt, Tunisia, Turkey, Cyprus, Iran—but nowhere have I felt a special sense of identification like the one I always feel when I land at Ben Gurion Airport," he was quoted as saying. According to reports, in the past, he also said: "We are all Israel—Israel is the West's first line of defense against Islam."