Explained | Why has Geert Wilders' victory in Dutch poll shocked Muslim citizens?

Far-right populist leader Geert Wilders won Wednesday's (Nov 22) general election in the Netherlands, sending shockwaves across the Muslim community in the country. Beating all poll predictions, Wilders' Freedom Party (PVV) won 37 seats out of 150, well ahead of 25 for a joint Labour/Green ticket and 24 for the conservative People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) of outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte.

On Sunday (Nov 26), Wilders, 60, vowed that he would become the prime minister eventually. "Today, tomorrow or the day after, the PVV will be part of government and I will be prime minister of this beautiful country," he said in a post on X.

Wilders' victory has triggered protests against discrimination in Amsterdam. A report by the news agency Reuter said that Muslim groups are planning a protest in Amsterdam on Dec 2 to protest against "populism and sowing hate".

Who is Geert Wilders?

Wilders has been in politics for 25 years but this is the first time he will be in a leadership position as he is set to lead coalition government talks and has a good chance of becoming prime minister.

Also read: Dutch far-right activist Edwin Wagensveld tears up, stomps on Quran during protest

A self-proclaimed fan of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and former United States president Donald Trump, Wilders is explicitly anti-European Union (EU) and has urged the Netherlands to take back control of its borders, significantly reduce its payments to the union, and block the entrance of any new members.

Not much is known about the 60-year-old's personal life other than he is married to a Hungarian-born woman and has two cats - who have their own Instagram and X accounts. On a kid's TV programme, Wilders said last week he enjoyed playing "Mario Kart" on his PlayStation and reading Donald Duck comics.

The controversies surrounding Wilders

Wilders has been a controversial politician, known for his strong anti-EU and anti-Islamic views. For years, Wilders has lived under police protection due to the numerous death threats sparked by his remarks against Islam, a religion he calls backward. According to a report by Sky News, Wilders has moved from one safehouse to another for nearly 20 years.

He has called for the mosques and Quran to be banned in the Netherlands. Reuters reported that Wilders has called Prophet Mohammad a "paedophile," Islam a "fascist ideology" and "backward religion."

His remarks have led to sometimes violent protests in nations with large Muslim populations, including Pakistan, Indonesia, and Egypt. In Pakistan, a religious leader issued a fatwa against him.

The 60-year-old was convicted of discrimination against Moroccans after he led a chant at a campaign rally in 2014, asking people whether they wanted more, or fewer Moroccans. After supporters chanted "Fewer!" he answered: "We're going to take care of that."

When the Dutch Supreme Court held up his conviction, Wilders said he was the victim of a "witch hunt" and a broken legal system.

As Russia launched a war against Ukraine in February 2022, Wilders said Amsterdam should stop providing arms to Kyiv, as he said the country needs the weapons to be able to defend itself.

However, none of the parties he could potentially form a government with share these ideas. In recent years, Wilders praised Russian President Vladimir Putin for his leadership qualities but denounced Russia's invasion of Ukraine, calling Moscow the aggressor in the conflict.

Though Wilders has made strong anti-EU remarks in the past he moderated his tone over the election campaign as he sought to get his party into government. Reuters reported that he would have to work with pro-EU parties to form a coalition.

On the eve of the election, Wilders said, "It's enough now. The Netherlands can't take it anymore. We have to think about our own people first now. Borders closed. Zero asylum-seekers."

Poll results a shock for Dutch Muslims

Muslims in the Netherlands have expressed shock over Wilders' victory in Wednesday's general election. Muslims make up around 5% of the Dutch population of almost 18 million people. Speaking to Reuters on Thursday, 45-year-old community worker Abdessamad Taheri said he was ashamed of Wilders and was not fine with him representing the Netherlands abroad. 

"Yesterday was the first time that I saw him (Geert Wilders) presenting himself as the prime minister of the Netherlands and the prime minister for all the Dutch citizens. Those are the words he used: 'I want to be the prime minister for all the Dutch citizens and represent all the different people.' But it's difficult to separate this from (previous statements on) imposing headscarf tax and burning Korans and to have fewer Moroccans and all other nasty things he has said," Taheri, a PVDA supporter, said.

Mehdi Koc, a 41-year-old insulation installer, said he was shocked by the swing to the PVV, while Taheri said the vote sent different messages to Muslims, although the overwhelming emotion was disappointment.

Apart from Muslims, people from the LGTBQ community were also dissatisfied with the election results. "In his (Wilders) party there are almost no rights left for minorities and people from the rainbow community. And I’m sincerely worried about that," a protester, who chose to remain anonymous, told the news agency on Thursday. 

(With inputs from agencies)