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Gulf Insider
5 days ago
- Politics
- Gulf Insider
Europe's Populist Parties Keep Gaining Ground
Across the European continent, despite gaining considerable proportions of the vote, populist parties are increasingly being frozen out of governing in coalitions by political opponents who regard them as extremist. Proponents of the tactic known as a 'cordon sanitaire' or 'firewall' say it's not an attack on democracy but a defense of it. But one war expert said the tactic will only arouse anger in voters and that 'there is no potential for peaceful political change.' Coalitions are part and parcel of political life in many European countries. But the cordon sanitaire, a measure normally directed at keeping out fringe outliers, is now being used to keep out parties that are gaining majority-level support. Such parties include the Alternative for Germany, France's National Rally, Austria's Freedom Party, Spain's Vox, and the Netherlands' Party for Freedom. They all deny being 'far-right' as they are often dubbed by media, opponents, or academics, but their political opponents regard them as beyond the pale and have formed coalitions on the promise of shutting them out of governance. The AfD, an anti-mass immigration party, which came second in Germany's national parliamentary elections, earning nearly 21 percent of the vote, was recently denied allotted committee chairmanships and vice-chairmanships. The party is locked in a legal battle with the state to avoid being branded an 'extremist' right-wing movement by Germany's domestic intelligence agency. AfD's policies include strong support for traditional marriage between a man and woman and the nuclear family, the preservation of national independence in the face of the European Union's increasing power, the preservation of German culture amid 'European integration' and Islamization, and border security, including the expulsion of illegal immigrants. But this doesn't seem to have dented the party's popularity in the polls. According to a recent INSA survey, the AfD is at 24.5 percent, hot on the heels of the CDU at 26 percent. A similar pattern is being seen in other countries. Early in June, the Dutch government collapsed after Party for Freedom (PVV) leader Geert Wilders said his party would pull out of the governing coalition. Wilders asked coalition partners to sign up to a plan to cut illegal immigration, which included using the army to protect Dutch borders, rejecting all illegal immigrants, sending Syrian refugees back to their country, and closing asylum shelters. At the time, he said that if the country's immigration policy was not strengthened, the PVV would be 'out of the Cabinet.' He followed through on the threat. In Austria, conservatives, Social Democrats, and liberals formed a coalition in March to block the anti-immigration and euro-skeptic Freedom Party from taking power, even after it won an electoral victory with 29 percent of the vote last September. The party was founded in 1956 by Anton Reinthaller, a former SS officer and member of the Reichstag. Last year, French President Emmanuel Macron called a surprise snap election on June 9, following his centrist Renaissance party's poor performance in European Parliament elections when the populist and nationalist party National Rally (RN) performed very strongly. But RN has increased its voter share ahead of the French presidential elections, which are scheduled to be held in or around April 2027, and is currently polling at 35 percent. In 2023, Socialist Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called a snap national election after his party was beaten in local government polls by the conservative People's Party (PP) and the nationalist Vox. Sanchez managed to retain power but only after months of wrangling with regional parties and a controversial power deal with Catalan separatists. Vox, founded in 2013, is now the third-largest force in the Spanish Parliament. Explaining the AfD situation in Germany, Richard Schenk, research fellow at MCC Brussels, told The Epoch Times that freezing out the AfD will have 'certain consequences.' 'AfD can now just exactly claim: 'We were excluded from the decisions that led to this chaos. You excluded us. We wanted to participate, to put forward proposals, to take responsibility, but you excluded us. So we really do not have to do anything with the mess that's currently going on,'' said Schenk. Click here to read more Also read: Hungary Sues European Commission Over €1 Million-A-Day Migrant Fine
Newsroom
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Newsroom
When populists cannot be tamed
Opinion: In two weeks, we will take a delegation of New Zealand Initiative members to the Netherlands. We had hoped to study Dutch excellence in infrastructure, technology and regulatory reform. Now it looks like we will also land in a nation nursing a political hangover. On June 3, the right-wing populist Geert Wilders destroyed the government he helped create just 11 months ago. His Party for Freedom withdrew support.
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Netherlands sets general election date after government collapse
June 6 (UPI) -- The Netherlands Friday scheduled a snap election for Oct. 29 following the collapse of the government caused by the far-right Party for Freedom leaving the governing coalition. Outgoing Minister of Foreign Affairs Judith Uitermark announced the election date in a post on X. "In the coming period, I will work with the municipalities and other stakeholders to prepare so that this important day in our democracy goes smoothly!" Uitermark said. Prime Minister Richard Schoof's four-party governing coalition collapsed when Party for Freedom's leader Geert Wilders demanded radical slashing of migration. Schoof indicated in a message to lawmakers he will maintain control over critical policies in the months between now and the October election. "As far as I'm concerned, it's about security, both nationally and internationally, including support for Ukraine and everything that's needed for defense," Schoof said in the statement. The far-right Party for Freedom quit the Dutch government Tuesday, prompting Schoof to submit his resignation to King Willem-Alexander's cabinet. Schoof called the move to quit the government "irresponsible and unnecessary." The current cabinet will stay in place pending the general election to act as a caretaker government. "Schoof showed that he is not the right man in the right place. If you, as prime minister of a cabinet in which the PVV is the largest party, refuse to sign a letter about a stricter asylum policy and a tougher approach to criminal aliens, then you are unsuitable," Wilders said in a post on X. The PVV pulled off a shock victory in the November 2023 election gaining more seats than ever before for the far right. Wilders, an anti-Islamist right-wing politician, tried to parlay the 37 seats his party won into becoming prime minister, but he was forced to abandon that attempt. There are 150 seats in the Dutch parliament. The center-left Labor party and Green Left won the second highest number of seats. Schoof became Prime Minister instead of Wilders, forming a government consisting of the PVV, the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy, the New Social Contract and the Farmer-Citizen Movement. That governing coalition was seated in July 2024.
Miami Herald
06-06-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Netherlands sets general election date after government collapse
June 6 (UPI) -- The Netherlands Friday scheduled a snap election for Oct. 29 following the collapse of the government caused by the far-right Party for Freedom leaving the governing coalition. Outgoing Minister of Foreign Affairs Judith Uitermark announced the election date in a post on X. 'In the coming period, I will work with the municipalities and other stakeholders to prepare so that this important day in our democracy goes smoothly!' Uitermark said. Prime Minister Dick Schoof's four-party governing coalition collapsed when Party for Freedom's leader Geert Wilders demanded radical slashing of migration. Schoof indicated in a message to lawmakers he will maintain control over critical policies in the months between now and the October election. 'As far as I'm concerned, it's about security, both nationally and internationally, including support for Ukraine and everything that's needed for defense,' Schoof said in the statement. The far-right Party for Freedom quit the Dutch government Tuesday, prompting Schoof to submit his resignation to King Willem-Alexander's cabinet. Schoof called the move to quit the government 'irresponsible and unnecessary.' The current cabinet will stay in place pending the general election to act as a caretaker government. 'Schoof showed that he is not the right man in the right place. If you, as prime minister of a cabinet in which the PVV is the largest party, refuse to sign a letter about a stricter asylum policy and a tougher approach to criminal aliens, then you are unsuitable,' Wilders said in a post on X. The PVV pulled off a shock victory in the November 2023 election gaining more seats than ever before for the far right. Wilders, an anti-Islamist right-wing politician, tried to parlay the 37 seats his party won into becoming prime minister, but he was forced to abandon that attempt. There are 150 seats in the Dutch parliament. The center-left Labor party and Green Left won the second highest number of seats. Schoof became Prime Minister instead of Wilders, forming a government consisting of the PVV, the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy, the New Social Contract and the Farmer-Citizen Movement. That governing coalition was seated in July 2024. Copyright 2025 UPI News Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
UPI
06-06-2025
- Politics
- UPI
Netherlands sets general election date after government collapse
1 of 2 | The Netherlands Friday scheduled a snap election for October 29 following the collapse of the government caused by the far-right Party for Freedom leaving the governing coalition. Prime Minister Dick Schoof told lawmakers he will manage critical policies focused on security in a caretaker role until the election. File Photo by Peter Foley/UPI | License Photo June 6 (UPI) -- The Netherlands Friday scheduled a snap election for Oct. 29 following the collapse of the government caused by the far-right Party for Freedom leaving the governing coalition. Outgoing Minister of Foreign Affairs Judith Uitermark announced the election date in a post on X. "In the coming period, I will work with the municipalities and other stakeholders to prepare so that this important day in our democracy goes smoothly!" Uitermark said. Prime Minister Dick Schoof's four-party governing coalition collapsed when Party for Freedom's leader Geert Wilders demanded radical slashing of migration. Schoof indicated in a message to lawmakers he will maintain control over critical policies in the months between now and the October election. "As far as I'm concerned, it's about security, both nationally and internationally, including support for Ukraine and everything that's needed for defense," Schoof said in the statement. The far-right Party for Freedom quit the Dutch government Tuesday, prompting Schoof to submit his resignation to King Willem-Alexander's cabinet. Schoof called the move to quit the government "irresponsible and unnecessary." The current cabinet will stay in place pending the general election to act as a caretaker government. "Schoof showed that he is not the right man in the right place. If you, as prime minister of a cabinet in which the PVV is the largest party, refuse to sign a letter about a stricter asylum policy and a tougher approach to criminal aliens, then you are unsuitable," Wilders said in a post on X. The PVV pulled off a shock victory in the November 2023 election gaining more seats than ever before for the far right. Wilders, an anti-Islamist right-wing politician, tried to parlay the 37 seats his party won into becoming prime minister, but he was forced to abandon that attempt. There are 150 seats in the Dutch parliament. The center-left Labor party and Green Left won the second highest number of seats. Schoof became Prime Minister instead of Wilders, forming a government consisting of the PVV, the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy, the New Social Contract and the Farmer-Citizen Movement. That governing coalition was seated in July 2024.
