Far-right leader also says he wants EU exit referendum, as other parties meet to consider joining coalition
The Netherlands is facing complex and potentially lengthy coalition talks as Geert Wilders, whose far-right, anti-Islam Party for Freedom (PVV) is expected to be the largest in the Dutch parliament in a shock election result, vowed to try to become prime minister and to call a referendum on its membership of the EU.
In an electoral upset whose reverberations will be felt around Europe and that was welcomed by far-right leaders including France’s Marine Le Pen and Hungary’s Viktor Orbán, the PVV won 37 seats in the 150-seat parliament, more than double its previous number. Its manifesto included calls for bans on mosques, the Qur’an, and the wearing of Islamic headscarves in government buildings.
