#THENETHERLANDS: Four-Party Coalition Government Talks Continue

[world politics news]

Talks on forming a new government start up again on Tuesday between Prime Minister Rutte's People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy, the Christian Democrats, the progressive D66 Party, and the Green Left Party. Edith Schippers, who is leading the negotiations, said last week the four parties are serious about forming a new alliance, even though they have major differences of opinion on some subjects among these diverse groups. The four are seeking to form a coalition to shut out the Freedom Party of Geert Wilders.

[FULL STORY HERE]

Pictured: The Binnenhof, the Dutch parliament buildings and offices of the Prime Ministe.

#THENETHERLANDS: Geert Wilders' Party Falls Short; Beaten By Pro-EU Prime Minister Rutte

[world politics news]

Dutch anti-Islam populist Geert Wilders' party fell short of expectations Wednesday, beaten by pro-EU Prime Minister Mark Rutte. While Wilders' Party for Freedom gained four seats over their 2012 results, it was not enough, and while Rutte's Freedom and Democracy Party lost 25% of their pre-election seats in parliament, the 31 they kept are enough, with allied parties, to stay in power. The two main pro-EU parties, D66 and GreenLeft, gained 7 seats and 12 seats respectively.

[FULL STORY HERE]

#THENETHERLANDS: Geert Wilders Aims To Upset Dutch And EU Politics In Today's Election

[world politics news]

Up to 13 million people in the Netherlands are voting in today's Dutch election seen as a face-off between populist Geert Wilders and the current Prime Minister Mark Rutte. Wilders, the leader of the anti-Islamist Party for Freedom, is taking on Rutte in the knife-edge election race. Dutch media were touting new polls that showed Wilders' party slumping just before the election, but as we've seen in the US election last November, polling can sometimes get it wrong, and Wilders has led in the polls for months.

[FULL STORY HERE]

#THENETHERLANDS: Leading Anti-Islam Pol. Convicted of "Inciting Hatred" Against Moroccans

[world politics news]

Geert Wilders, whose party is leading in the polls to be the next government of the Netherlands, has been convicted by a 3-judge panel of inciting hatred against Moroccans by leading a chant against that nation's immigrants. Wilders denounced the ruling as a blow against free speech, but the court imposed no penalties and he is unlikely to face any at the polls, either. In fact, the controversial mass immigration of Muslims will likely continue to fuel his party's rise.

[FULL STORY HERE]

#THENETHERLANDS: Labour Party Minister Attacks Coalition Partner's Election Platform

[world politics news]

A senior Labour Party minister has attacked the election platform published by its coalition partner party, the Dutch Party of Freedom and Democracy. Social Affairs Minister Lodewijk Asscher, who has yet to announce whether or not he will challenge Diederik Samsom for the party leadership, described social welfare cuts in the manifesto as "bizarre" and "disastrous."


[FULL STORY HERE]