Defections lower Wilders in the Netherlands

TT

Published 10.30

 

Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders' party loses 7 of its 26 members in the Dutch parliament. Archive photo. Photo: Harry Nakos/AP/TT

Islamophobic and anti-immigration Geert Wilders is being pressured by a huge defection from his party in the Dutch parliament.

Wilders' party PVV has shared the seat as the largest party in parliament with the left-liberal D66 since the election in October. Now, however, seven of the members are defecting, which quickly moves the PVV down to fourth place.

The defectors have demanded an investigation into the election effort and are critical of how Wilders leads the party - of which he himself is the only formal member.

Whether the defectors will join other parties or start their own is still unclear.

“If a new party wants to cooperate constructively, it opens up opportunities,” says D66 leader Rob Jetten, who is expected to soon take office as prime minister in a minority government, according to the newspaper De Telegraaf.