Macron’s nightmare as Le Pen hails ‘hope for change’ after Wilders’ win
Marine Le Pen has heralded the electoral success of Geert Wilders in the Netherlands as “hope for change”, in what is a nightmarish blow to Emmanuel Macron.
The National Rally leader posted on X following the landmark result, which saw Wilders’ Freedom Party win 37 seats.
Wilders is staunchly Eurosceptic and critical of Islam, and thus shares an ideological throughline with Le Pen.
The French politician said that the 60-year-old’s performance at the polls was down to Dutch voters’ “attachment to the defence of national identities”.
She added that “there are people who refuse to see the national torch extinguished” and “that the hope for change remains alive in Europe”.
READ MORE Geert Wilders’ Dutch election victory is a humbling moment for Brussels[COMMENT]
The Freedom Party gained 20 seats on their 2021 performance of 17 seats in the 150-seater parliament. Mr Wilders did particularly well in rural and coastal regions, taking 23.5 per cent of the national vote.
His sweeping win, the latest of a slew of victories for the European Right, comes as Le Pen’s National Rally leads Emmanuel Macron’s En Marche by nine points.
And an OpinionWay EU Election poll puts National Rally on 28 per cent, five points up on its previous return.
With respect to the 2027 French Presidential Election, an Odoxa survey suggested Le Pen would defeat Macron by 54 per cent to 46 per cent.
Don’t miss…
Wilders’ Dutch election win paves way for EU collapse with Nexit ‘rising up'[LATEST]
‘Jihad’ chanters at Palestine protests can be arrested by cops, says expert[INSIGHT]
Moment migrants protest outside asylum centre as they moan they have ‘no WiFi'[REVEAL]
Although still a long way off, President Macron is unquestionably under siege from a bullish Right and Geert Wilders’ win in the Netherlands nearby will do little to ease the sense that Europe is turning its back on metropolitan liberalism.
Mr Wilders, despite being the leader of the largest party, is not guaranteed to be the Prime Minister.
Today he will enter negotiations with opposition parties, such as outgoing PM Mark Rutte’s VVD.
Despite the uncertainty surrounding who will take charge, the Dutch political veteran was confident: “The PVV can no longer be ignored. We will govern.”
- Support fearless journalism
- Read The Daily Express online, advert free
- Get super-fast page loading
Wilders has a controversial record of being highly critical of Islam.
He has branded it a fascist ideology of “a retarded culture” and a “backward religion”.
He also called Moroccans “scum” in a campaign rally.
How much of his anti-Islamic agenda he will be able to implement is unclear. It was notable that he toned down much of rhetoric in the lead-up to the election, in an apparent attempt to curry favour with rival politicians with whom he would have to negotiate to form a government.
Source: Read Full Article