It is the day after the House of Representatives elections and few people will have noticed that Geert Wilders’ PVV has emerged as the big winner. We have listed the most important news surrounding the election results for you.
PVV the largest
The PVV received the most votes in almost every municipality in Brabant, but nowhere did voters vote for Wilders’ party as en masse as in Rucphen. More than half of those eligible to vote in Rucphen voted for the PVV. As a result, the party did not receive more votes in percentage terms anywhere in the Netherlands than in this Brabant municipality.
Although the PVV has so far become the largest in few places in Brabant, this time it is different. The right-wing populist party managed to break through by focusing on the most important themes among voters: migration, social security and healthcare. The fact that the VVD opened the door to Wilders will undoubtedly also have helped.
Wilders ‘for all Dutch people’
The PVV held its first group meeting on Thursday morning after the election victory. In it, Wilders stated that he wanted to collaborate with other parties and be there ‘for the Netherlands and all Dutch people’. He also specifically targeted Muslims and other minorities. Muslim organizations have expressed their concerns after the PVV’s monster victory.
Brabanders in the House of Representatives
The elections were extra exciting for three people from Brabant, because they have just entered the House of Representatives. Mpanzu Bamenga is from Eindhoven and he was in ninth place on the D66 candidate list and that is exactly the number of seats that D66 has won. Michiel van Nispen from Breda also remains in the House of Representatives. He was in fifth place with the SP and that is the number of seats the party obtained. “It’s nice for me that I can continue, because I’m far from finished making the Netherlands more social,” says Van Nispen. The third Brabander who balanced on the edge is Daan de Kort from Veldhoven. He was in 24th place with the VVD and that is exactly the number of seats the party obtained.
Bitter pill for Tilburg councilor
For Esmah Lahlah, number two on the Groenlinks-PvdA candidate list, the result is ‘a bitter pill’. Lahlah is now an alderman in Tilburg on behalf of GroenLinks and she is assured of a place in the House of Representatives. The PVV’s big win came unexpectedly for her. “Who could have imagined this, even if you look at the polls? It has been neck-and-neck in recent days. I can only say congratulations to Wilders.”
Opponents of Budel asylum seekers’ center are happy
While it is a bitter pill for some, others are happy with the PVV’s win. This applies, for example, to the opponents of the asylum seeker center in Budel. Harm van Leuken, founder of the Cranendonck vigilante group and volunteer for the PVV, is proud. “Hopefully we can now quickly get to work on solving the problems surrounding the asylum seekers’ center.” According to Jordy Drieman of the local VVD, people should not cheer too early. “People think that the asylum center will close immediately, but that will not happen that quickly.”
ASML concerned about election results
At the Veldhoven company ASML, major concerns prevail after the results. The chip machine manufacturer is particularly afraid that the hiring of foreign employees with specific knowledge will be restricted in the coming years. According to ASML, these foreign employees are indispensable. “Dutch talent alone is not enough. Sudden changes can have serious consequences for our investments, innovations and attracting the workers we need,” ASML wrote in a statement.
Why the SP loses again and again
Election after election, the SP is losing seats. An explanation may be that the SP does not have an easy story. The average SP voter is poorly educated, less happy and has more difficulty making ends meet and seems to fit in better with the PVV support base than with that of GroenLinks-PvdA.
The PVV is the largest everywhere in Brabant, with the exception of seven municipalities. View the results for your municipality on the map below: