Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders says he won't become PM

Freedom Party leader known for Anti-Islam views failed to form a coalition after winning November election

Geert Wilders speaks to media as he arrives at the House of Representatives in The Hague on Thursday morning. AFP

Geert Wilders, the far-right leader of the Netherlands, has temporarily abandoned his prime ministerial ambitions after his attempts to form a ruling coalition hit a dead end.

Mr Wilders, a staunch critic of Islam, led his Freedom Party (PVV) to an upset election win in November but some potential allies baulked at serving in a cabinet led by him.

After prolonged talks, Mr Wilders said he was willing to cede leadership to support a right-wing cabinet that tackles his priority issues of asylum and immigration.

However, he said it was "unfair, undemocratic and constitutionally incorrect" that he had to sacrifice his hopes of becoming prime minister.

"I can only become prime minister if all parties in the coalition support it. That was not the case," Mr Wilders said. "The love for my country and voters is bigger and more important than my own position."

The way out of limbo remains uncertain, with an official leading the coalition talks due to report back to the Dutch Parliament on Thursday.

One possibility is an "extra-parliamentary cabinet" that could bring in technocrats and rest on a loose coalition agreement.

Parties including the PVV, the centre-right VVD of departing Prime Minister Mark Rutte and the upstart NSC led by anti-corruption champion Pieter Omtzigt, have struggled for months to agree on a way forward.

Dilan Yesilgoz-Zegerius, the leader of departing Prime Minister Mark Rutte's centre-right party, is among the key players in the coalition talks. EPA

The PVV won 37 out of 150 seats in the fractured political landscape in the Netherlands, handing Mr Wilders the biggest victory of his long career.

Mr Wilders campaigned for cutting migration, halting military aid to Ukraine and a Dutch exit from the European Union, or 'Nexit'.

He is also known for strident anti-Muslim views and calling for bans on mosques and the Quran, although he had said he was willing to put his more extreme demands "in the fridge". He has positioned himself as a staunch ally of Israel in its war in Gaza.

The PVV's demands proved too much for the NSC and Mr Omtzigt, who walked out of the talks in February saying the gaps between the two parties were "too big".

Mr Rutte, who remains in post in a caretaker role, is considered a leading contender to become the next secretary general of Nato. His successor as party leader, former Turkish refugee Dilan Yesilgoz-Zegerius, has signalled she could back a technocratic cabinet.

Support for the PVV has increased post-election, surveys suggest, as voters voice frustration at the slow pace of talks.

Mr Wilders said he will become prime minister "one day, with the support of even more Dutch people".

"If not tomorrow, then the day after tomorrow."

Geert Wilders through the years - in pictures

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  Geert Wilders, leader of the Party for Freedom, casts his vote in the Netherlands' general election in November in The Hague. Getty Images

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  Mr Wilders on an election campaign poster near the Dutch parliament building in The Hague this month. Getty Images

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  Leader of France's National Rally party Marine Le Pen and Mr Wilders during a meeting of populist far-right party leaders in Prague, Czech Republic, in 2019. Getty Images

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  Mr Wilders surrounded by police during a Free Tommy Robinson protest in London in 2018. Getty Images

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  Mr Wilders with a police guard during his election campaign in Breda, Netherlands, in 2017. Getty Images

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  Mr Wilders with supporters in The Hague in 2014. AP

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  Mr Wilders attends the inauguration of King Willem Alexander of the Netherlands in Amsterdam in 2013. Getty Images

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  Mr Wilders in Sydney, Australia, in 2013. Getty Images

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  Mr Wilders on 2012 election night in The Hague, Netherlands. Getty Images

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  Mr Wilders in London in 2009 after being allowed into the UK when he overturned a ban by the UK immigration authorities. Getty Images

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  Mr Wilders during an interview in The Hague. AP