All About Geert Wilders, the Far-Right Politician Who Brought Down Dutch Government

Far-right lawmaker Geert Wilders pulled his Freedom Party out of the Dutch government after coalition partners resisted his plans for tougher immigration rules. The government has lasted about a year, and early elections are now the likeliest outcome. While the Freedom Party is the biggest in parliament, its popularity has ebbed in recent months, and it’s not clear if Wilders will get to reprise his role of kingmaker in a future coalition.

Wilders, 61, has been a fixture in Dutch politics for decades. He started his career as a member of former Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s liberal People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy, or VVD. He later broke away to serve as an independent lawmaker before setting up the anti-migrant Freedom Party, known as the PVV in Dutch. He has faced death threats because of his anti-Islam views and has been under police protection since 2004. Wilders gave external support to a minority coalition led by Rutte from 2010 to 2012, as a non-Cabinet member. Rutte’s VVD and most other mainstream parties later ruled out working with Wilders, until he scored a shock election victory in November 2023.