#THENETHERLANDS: Wilders Ready For Coalition To Reawaken Netherlands

[world politics news]

Details are still emerging of the program of the new coalition government assembled by the leader of the Freedom Party, Geert Wilders, following his surprise victory in the elections last year. It's taken 6 months, but a right-leaning coalition has been agreed upon.

It's unclear who will be named prime minister,  but Wilders has signaled restrictions on immigration, a roll back of Net Zero policies, a renewal of nuclear power - to reduce dependence on Russian energy sources, and lower taxes. The current government's war on farmers will end, and support will be given to agriculture and food production.

The new immigration restrictions in the likely anti- EU Wilders government is making EU officials nervous, which probably suits Wilders just fine, even if he isn't chosen for the top spot. But EU officials see a trend emerging. EU member nation Italy elected a right-leaning government in recent years,  and Germany may follow suit, as immigration is at record levels in Europe. 

[FULL STORY HERE]

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#THENETHERLANDS: Wilders Says He Doesn't Have Support To Be PM... Yet

[world politics news]

Geert Wilders, whose anti-Islam, anti-immigration rhetoric swept his Party for Freedom to a stunning victory in the November election, said earlier this week that he doesn’t have the support of his prospective coalition partners to become the next Dutch prime minister.

Wilders took to X, formerly Twitter, to say that “I can only become premier if ALL parties in the coalition support that. That wasn’t the case.” Later, however, he took to X to say that one day, he will have enough support.

His coalition consists of 88 seats in the 150-seat parliament. His Freedom Party continues to gain support in the polls.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#THENETHERLANDS: Anti-EU Wilders Wins Parliamentary Election

[world politics news]

The unexpectedly substantial win for controversial, anti-EU politician Geert Wilders in Wednesday's general election in the Netherlands set international headlines on fire.

Nationalists across Europe rushed to congratulate the populist politician, sometimes dubbed the Dutch Trump - partly for his dyed, bouffant-like hairdo, and partly for his famously firebrand, anti-Muslim rhetoric.

Geert Wilders' publicly expressed views - including linking Muslim immigration with terrorism and calling for a ban on mosques and the Quran - are so provocative that he has been under tight police protection since 2004.

Wilders was convicted of inciting discrimination, although later acquitted, and he was refused entry to the UK back in 2009.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#THENETHERLANDS: New Populist Party Wins Big In Provincial Elections

[world politics news]

A new populist party riding anger among Dutch farmers and rural communities at government policies to rein in agricultural pollution emerged as the big winner in provincial elections Wednesday, according to early exit polls.

The elections for the Netherlands’ 12 provincial legislatures also indirectly decide the makeup of the country’s national senate — and the win for the Farmer Citizen Movement was seen as a powerful protest vote against Prime Minister Mark Rutte and his four-party center-right governing coalition.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#THENETHERLANDS: Dutch-made Microchips Found In Russian Weapons in Ukraine

[world politics news]

Dutch-made microchips have been found in captured Russian weapons, sold to them by the Chinese for use in it's invasion of Ukraine, an investigation by a Dutch newspaper has found.

Millions of microchips made by Dutch companies reportedly ended in Russia since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion, despite heavy sanctions on technological goods, an investigation by Dutch newspaper Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (NOS) showed.

Hundreds of deliveries have gone to three Russian companies linked to the defense industry, meaning that Dutch chips have also been used in Russian weapons.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#THENETHERLANDS: Provincial Government To Ban Ads On Bus Shelters For Beef, Air Travel

[world politics news]

The Dutch province of Noord-Holland is set to become the first of the 12 Dutch provinces to ban advertising for meat, fish, air travel and fossil fuels from its bus shelters, media report.

The ban will cover some 500 bus shelters owned by the provincial council, most of which are located outside built-up areas.

The province has the right to ban certain types of advertising via the agreement it has with the company responsible for placing the posters and, a spokesman said, the ban will come into effect immediately.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#THENETHERLANDS: Small Local Parties Do Well In Municipal Elections

[world politics news]

A historically low turnout didn’t stand in the way of various local parties celebrating a successful evening in last week's municipal elections. 

A number of the major Dutch political parties also enjoyed some solid wins across different municipalities, but the Netherlands’ local political parties were the big winners, further strengthening their hold on local politics. 

Local parties took home around 36% of the vote, up from 29% four years ago. De Mos (also known as Hart voor Den Haag) remains the largest party in The Hague. Similarly, in Rotterdam, Leefbaar Rotterdam held onto its majority and kept all 11 of its seats on the Municipal Council. In Maastricht, the Senioren Partij overtook the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) to become the biggest party in the municipality.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#THENETHERLANDS: Parliament Close To Approving Lab-Grown Meat

[world politics news]

The Netherlands is one step closer to lab-grown meat. Two parties have submitted a motion in parliament to make the tasting of cultured meat possible in the Netherlands. A majority in parliament said they would vote for this motion.

Lab-grown or cultured meat is meat grown from animal cells but without any animals being killed. It is currently still banned in Europe. Researchers aren't even allowed to taste a piece. 

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#THENETHERLANDS: PM Rutte's Party Wins Election, Right Gains Seats

[world politics news]

 
Prime Minister Mark Rutte's political party won the most seats in the Dutch parliament, according to a preliminary forecast by ANP news agency based on a count of 88.5% of the votes.

The liberal party Democrats 66 (D66) came in second in ANP's forecast with 24 seats, an increase of five seats compared to 2017.

The Party for Freedom, a right-wing nationalist party, was set to win 17 seats, which would be three seats fewer than they won four years ago.

The Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) was expected to gain 15 seats compared to their previous 19 seats in parliament in 2017.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#THENETHERLANDS: Courts Battle Over First Curfew Since Nazi Occupation

[world politics news]

A Dutch appeals court has ruled that the government’s controversial coronavirus curfew must stay in place until a hearing later this week to decide whether the measure is legal.

The government had been stunned when a lower court judge ruled earlier that it must immediately lift the Netherlands’ first curfew since the second world war because it had wrongly used emergency powers to invoke it.

The case against the curfew – which sparked the worst riots in the Netherlands for decades – was launched by the Viruswaarheid (Virus Truth) group, which has led a series of protests against coronavirus measures in the Netherlands.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#THENETHERLANDS: Gov't Of PM Rutte Resigns Over Child Benefits Scandal

[world politics news] 

The Dutch government has resigned amid an escalating scandal over child benefits in which more than 20,000 families were wrongly accused of fraud by the tax authority.

The move came less than a month before parliament was due to break up ahead of general elections scheduled for March 17. Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s cabinet is to stay on in a caretaker capacity until a new coalition is formed after that vote. Rutte said "mistakes were made" in handling the scandal, and took full responsibility.

It remains to be seen whether opposition parties can take advantage of the scandal.

Polls suggest Rutte’s People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy will win a fourth term in the election, with public opinion still largely backing him. The center-right party is polling at just under 30% of the vote, more than twice that of the second-place party, Geert Wilders’ anti-Islam Freedom Party.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#THENETHERLANDS: Right-Wing Party Falls Apart After Pro-Nazi Online Messages

[world politics news] 

Dutch far-right politician Thierry Baudet has resigned as leader of his anti-immigration party after members of its youth wing reportedly shared messages praising the Nazis.

The eurosceptic Forum for Democracy rose rapidly since Baudet founded it in 2016, but it is now falling equally rapidly into disarray over the online chat group messages, which also included anti-Jewish and homophobic statements.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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#THENETHERLANDS: Parliament Votes To Close Remaining 128 Mink Farms 3 Years Ahead Of 2024 Deadline

[world politics news]

Dutch Members of Parliament voted to shut down all remaining mink fur farms—estimated at 128 farms—across the Netherlands in an effort to stop the spread of COVID-19. In 2013, the Dutch government passed a ban on mink fur farming which is scheduled to be enacted in 2024. The politicians voted to compensate fur farmers to phase out the practice three and a half years before the law goes into effect.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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#BRAZIL: Dutch Parliament Scuttles EU-South America Trade Deal

[world politics news]

A Free Trade Agreement between the EU and four South American countries, known as the MERCOSUR trade bloc, has been voted down by the Dutch parliament.

This not only puts the largest-ever EU trade deal at risk, it also doesn’t bode well for the upcoming Dutch vote on the ratification of the trade deal between the EU and Canada.

Under European rules all member states must vote in favor of trade deals. The Austrian Parliament has also voted against this deal.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#THENETHERLANDS: Deputy Prime Minister Calls For "New Limits" For Immigration

[world politics news]

The next general election may be over a year away, but the government is starting to posture on what will be a major issue: Immigration. Christian Democrat Deputy Prime Minister Hugo de Jonge said he backed new limits on immigration.

De Jonge said in an interview that the Netherlands needs extra skills and workers, and that it should continue to take in refugees. The Netherlands, he said, does extremely well when it comes to solidarity ‘but, if we want to continue in this way, we have to set limits."

De Jonge declined to give exact figures, preferring instead to talk about ‘targets’. Allowing in 80,000 migrants a year is too many, he said ‘if you calculate how that adds up over time’.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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#THENETHERLANDS: Cabinet Supports Fireworks Ban, Citing Numerous New Years' Injuries

[world politics news]

The governing cabinet in the Netherlands plans to implement new limits on fireworks after this past New Year's period saw thousands of incidents requiring first responders. Millions of euros worth of damages to private personal property were estimated, with even more damage caused to commercial property.

Security and Justice Minister Ferdinand Grapperhaus said he proposed a ban on firecrackers and flares to other ministers at their weekly meeting.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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#THENETHERLANDS: Controversial Ban On Burkas And Face Veils In Gov't Buildings Comes Into Effect

[world politics news]

A ban on wearing face-covering garments such as a burka or niqab face veil in government buildings, schools and on public transport came into effect in the Netherlands this month. The ban has been 13 years in the making and dates back to the time Geert Wilders’ anti-Islam Party for Freedom propped up a minority government formed by Mark Rutte’s People's Party for Freedom and Democracy and the Christian Democrats.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#THENETHERLANDS:Ousted Party Founder Vows To Sue Party Over Financial Accusations

[world politics news]

Forum For Democracy Party founder Henk Otten has accused his former party of making ‘very substantial’ undocumented payments to leading members, in the latest stage of an increasingly bitter fight played out on Twitter. The senator and former party treasurer was thrown out of the party last week for allegedly making unauthorised payments to himself, a former colleague and his lover.

Otten has vowed to sue the party leadership for libel and claims to be the victim of ‘character assassination.’

His war against his former party began after he gave an interview critical of its new leader, accusing him of moving the party too far to the right.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#THENETHERLANDS: Forum For Democracy Party Seeks Leader After Sidelining Co-Founder

[world politics news]

Forum for Democracy Party co-founder Henk Otten has been removed as the populist party’s prospective leader in the senate following a meeting of all the party’s candidates for the upper house parliament. Otten has been under fire since giving an interview to a newspaper that was highly critical of Forum’s leader Thierry Baudet and the way he was allegedly moving the party to the "far right."

Later the same week, the paper was tipped off with the news that Otten had paid himself €30,000 without the approval of other board members. Otten has since been stripped of his role as treasurer, party worker and board member and being sidelined in the senate was not unexpected.

The senate will be elected by the 570 members of the 12 provincial councils on May 27 and Forum emerged as the big winner in the March provincial vote. This means the party is likely to be the biggest in the 75 seat upper chamber with 13 members

Read more at DutchNews.nl:

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#THENETHERLANDS: Populist Party Stuns Establishment In Election; PM's Party Loses Senate Majority

[world politics news]

The governing center-right coalition of Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has lost its senate majority after a populist party surged in provincial elections.

Forum for Democracy won most votes and secured more seats in the upper house than Rutte's People's Party. The party holds two seats in parliament after entering politics just three years ago. It will have 13 seats in the Senate, one more than Rutte’s party.

Forum for Democracy Party leader Thierry Baudet, 36, has bitterly criticized Rutte's immigration policies. The party Forum is projected to win 12 percent of the Dutch votes in the European Parliament election in May.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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