Dutch Election Winner Wilders Says Willing to Forgo Premiership

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Geert Wilders, leader of Dutch right-wing Party for Freedom (PVV), which won the most seats in the 2023 parliamentary elections, said on Wednesday that he had failed to muster support from his prospective coalition partners to become the prime minister.

"I can only become Prime Minister if ALL parties in the coalition support it. That was not the case," Wilders wrote on X.

Earlier in the day, Dutch broadcaster NOS reported that Wilders and the leaders of three other major parties in the Dutch parliament — Dilan Yesilgoz-Zegerius from the center-right People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), Pieter Omtzigt from the New Social Contract (NSC) and Caroline van der Plas from the right-wing Farmer–Citizen Movement — had agreed to remain in parliament and were continuing negotiations to form an extra-parliamentary government.

After the agreement is made, they will be able to nominate cabinet ministers, who can be members of their own or any other parties or even outside experts, Dutch media said.

The Netherlands held snap parliamentary elections on November 22, 2023. The PVV won 37 seats in the 150-seat lower house of parliament, followed by the left-wing GroenLinks-PvdA alliance with 25 seats and the ruling VVD with 24 seats. Wilders said he had no intention of establishing a coalition with the left wing, while his preferred partners would be the center-right VVD, the NSC and the right-wing BBB.

Wilders is known for his tough stance on migrants, criticism of EU policies and calls for a referendum on leaving the European Union. He also opposes sanctions against Russia and does not support arms deliveries to Ukraine.