Current:Home > InvestPotential kingmaker in Dutch coalition talks comes out against anti-Islam firebrand Wilders -LegacyCapital
Potential kingmaker in Dutch coalition talks comes out against anti-Islam firebrand Wilders
View
Date:2025-04-16 18:03:51
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The center-right lawmaker whose new party is riding so high in polls ahead of next week’s Dutch election that he could become a kingmaker in coalition talks said Thursday that he has fundamental differences with anti-Islam lawmaker Geert Wilders, whose party also is polling strongly.
With next Wednesday’s vote shaping up as a neck-and-neck race, party leaders are already looking toward what could be protracted negotiations to form the next ruling coalition. The Dutch electoral system and the sheer number of parties involved — 26 at this election — virtually guarantee the need for coalition governments.
Pieter Omtzigt, who only formed his New Social Contract party over the summer, is very narrowly behind the People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) of outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte in the polls. Wilders’ Freedom Party (PVV) is in fourth place.
A center-left bloc of the Labor Party and Green Left, led by former European Union climate tsar Frans Timmermans, is currently third in the polls.
Omtzigt made his name by campaigning on behalf of citizens caught up in government scandals and is calling for reform of the Dutch political system. He is expected to play a pivotal role in talks to form a new coalition after the vote.
He said that Wilders’ anti-Islam policies go against freedoms of expression and religion that are enshrined in the Dutch constitution. One of Omtzigt’s policy pledges is to create a constitutional court in the Netherlands that would be able to rule on government plans before they become law.
Answering questions submitted by voters to Dutch broadcaster NOS, Omtzigt was asked if he 100% ruled out working with Wilders’ PVV party.
“The PVV rules itself out,” he answered.
His comments came after Wilders appeared this week to slightly back away from his strident anti-Islam program that includes bans on mosques and the Quran, by saying that other policies now are priorities.
Mainstream political parties have for years been wary of counting on Wilders’ support since he withdrew his backing for Mark Rutte’s first ruling coalition a decade ago, causing its collapse. Wilders’ PVV was not part of that coalition but agreed to support it on key policies.
veryGood! (39)
Related
- USA women's basketball live updates at Olympics: Start time vs Nigeria, how to watch
- Lionel Messi, Inter Miami rely on late goal to keep MLS record pursuit alive
- What is elderberry good for? Dietitians weigh in.
- Contractors hired to replace Newark’s lead pipes charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud
- 'Kraven the Hunter' spoilers! Let's dig into that twisty ending, supervillain reveal
- Man fatally shoots his 81-year-old wife at a Connecticut nursing home
- Barbie releases new doll for Diwali to 'celebrate the power and beauty of diversity'
- Bad News, Bears? States Take Legal Actions to End Grizzlies’ Endangered Species Protections
- Police remove gator from pool in North Carolina town: Watch video of 'arrest'
- 'Dream come true:' New Yorker flies over 18 hours just to see Moo Deng in Thailand
Ranking
- Spooky or not? Some Choa Chu Kang residents say community garden resembles cemetery
- Why Sean Diddy Combs Sex Trafficking Case Was Reassigned to a New Judge
- How Texas Diminished a Once-Rigorous Air Pollution Monitoring Team
- Hilary Swank Gets Candid About Breastfeeding Struggles After Welcoming Twins
- USA men's volleyball mourns chance at gold after losing 5-set thriller, will go for bronze
- 1 dead after accident at Louisiana fertilizer plant
- Ariana DeBose talks 'House of Spoils' and why she's using her platform to get out the vote
- MIami, Mississippi on upset alert? Bold predictions for Week 6 in college football
Recommendation
Louisiana high court temporarily removes Judge Eboni Johnson Rose from Baton Rouge bench amid probe
Yankees' newest October hero Luke Weaver delivers in crazy ALDS opener
Federal Highway Officials Reach Agreement With Alabama Over Claims It Discriminated Against Flooded Black Residents
North Carolina native Eric Church releases Hurricane Helene benefit song 'Darkest Hour'
'No Good Deed': Who's the killer in the Netflix comedy? And will there be a Season 2?
Blowout September jobs data points to solid economy and slower Fed rate cuts, analysts say
How Gigi Hadid, Brody Jenner, Erin Foster and Katharine McPhee Share the Same Family Tree
Judge denies an order sought by a Black student who was punished over his hair