Browsing: Netherlands

Netherlands news in English.

Dutch anti-Islam populist Geert Wilders abandons PM bid Centre

Dutch anti-Islam populist Geert Wilders abandons PM bid

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Geet Wilders, the Dutch populist leader, has abandoned his bid to become prime minister, despite his party’s dramatic victory in the 2023 elections. “I can only become prime minister if ALL parties in the coalition support it. That was not the case,” he wrote on X. 

Will Dutch voters elect their first female prime minister? EU

Will Dutch voters elect their first female prime minister?

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Surveys have fluctuated wildly in the run-up to election day, but observers believe that whichever party wins the most seats in this Wednesday’s parliamentary elections in the Netherlands may need support from at least three other parties to govern. Dilan Yesilgoz, leader of the centre-right VVD party and successor to outgoing PM Mark Rutte, is hoping to cap a meteoric rise by clinching the top job. She would be the first woman to do so in the Netherlands. Born in Turkey, the 46-year-old Yesilgoz has taken a hard line on immigration. For more, we speak to Professor Joop van Holsteijn from the Institute of Political Science at Leiden University.