Geert Wilders failed in government, but the far right retains its grip on the Netherlands | Cas Mudde

<p>A media in thrall to Wilders’ party ensures its agenda is entrenched in Dutch politics and will dominate Wednesday’s election</p><p>On Wednesday Dutch people go to the ballot box … again! This will be the ninth election for the <em>Tweede Kamer</em> (second chamber), the Dutch parliament’s legislative chamber, in this still young century. In some ways the Netherlands has become the Italy of the 21st century, plagued by political fragmentation, governmental instability, and radicalisation (accompanied, increasingly often, <a href="https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2025/09/22/the-hague-rocked-by-far-right-protest-an-unprecedented-outburst-of-violence-in-the-netherlands_6745631_4.html">by violence</a>).</p><p>This election is a direct result of this fragmentation and instability. The far-right Freedom Party (PVV) led by Geert Wilders dominated the last ruling coalition, but still <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jun/03/netherlands-government-collapse-geert-wilders">pulled the plug</a> in July, after less than a year. The various lessons that the Dutch media, political parties, and voters have drawn from this tumultuous experience should be relevant beyond the Netherlands, given that most European countries are struggling with a similar challenge: how to deal with the increasing electoral, ideological and political success of the far right.</p><p>Cas Mudde is the Stanley Wade Shelton UGAF professor of international affairs at the University of Georgia, and author of The Far Right Today</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/oct/27/geert-wilders-far-right-netherlands-dutch-politics-election">Continue reading...</a>