Elections in the Netherlands. Wilders' far-right party is big favorite in polls but has little chance of returning to power
Geert Wilders, Photo: Jaap Arriens / Alamy / Profimedia Images
The far-right party of Geert Wilders is by far the big favorite in the upcoming election, according to a new opinion poll, published a week before the parliamentary elections in the Netherlands, reports DPA on Tuesday, taken over by Agerpres.
A representative poll conducted by the Verian Institute for the TV program “EenVandaag” shows that Wilders' Party for Freedom (PVV) would win 34 of the 150 seats in parliament, making it by far the strongest party, as it was in the last election about two years ago.
The four-party governing coalition fell apart after just 11 months when Wilders withdrew his ministers over a row over tightening asylum laws.
While his former coalition partners are expected to suffer heavy losses in the upcoming election, voter support for Wilders has remained strong.
However, the anti-Islamist PVV party is unlikely to return to government, as all the main parties continue to rule out cooperation with Wilders. The outgoing interim government was led by former independent civil servant Dick Schoof.
According to the survey, the GreenLeft-Labor alliance could get 25 seats in parliament, and the Christian Democrats 23, both formations being far behind the PVV. The conservative-liberal Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), the main ruling party, is expected to record significant losses.
Polls show that many voters are undecided before next Wednesday's vote. Among the key themes of the campaign are the right to asylum and migration, as well as the serious housing crisis in the country.
The survey was conducted between October 17-20 on a representative sample of 1,473 people with the right to vote.
