FvD is trying to gather seats in dozens of municipal councils. But Thierry Baudet’s party does not appear to be a power factor in local politics. “The whole world sometimes seems to be against us,” says Jasper van der Voort, national FvD campaign manager and candidate councilor in the municipality of Westland.
He says what many party members think during the FvD results evening in a remote castle in Baarlo, Limburg. Many hundreds of FvD members react jeering and sneering when films come by with images of Hugo de Jonge, Mark Rutte and Kajsa Ollongren. “Shut up!” someone yells.
‘A start’
When the first polls come by, FvD MP Jansen looks so taken aback. “But I do see this as a start,” he says. “This is a bridgehead to further expand the party.”
Despite all the negative publicity surrounding Baudet’s pro-Russian statements and Holocaust remarks by MP Gideon van Meijeren, the FvD could only really ‘win’ these council elections. Because in 2018 the party only participated in Amsterdam, this time FvD was on the ballot in fifty municipalities. Four years ago, FvD won three of the 45 council seats in the capital.
It seems that many former FvD voters have dropped out because of extreme views expressed by the party in recent years: its anti-corona policy and party leader Baudet’s recent refusal to condemn Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. “A wonderful guy,” said Baudet about the Russian president.
The fact that FvD had to compile lists of candidates in fifty municipalities using steam and boiling water led to striking choices. The Hengelo party leader, for example, appeared to have said on a forum that he was looking forward to the day when those responsible for corona policy ‘are head on the chopping block’. And the Eindhoven number 2 called the then corona minister Hugo de Jonge a ‘serial killer’ in a tweet.
Threats
But the party itself also faces threats. For example, the party office of FvD in Amsterdam was daubed this week. “Fascist” was written on the front door of the party office. The municipality then decided to hang a camera near the office. This also happened earlier at Baudet’s home in Amsterdam.
The FvD campaign was anything but flawless. For example, FvD posters appeared in Arnhem with a photo of the skyline of arch-rival Nijmegen. And in all sorts of places the slogan ‘Femke weg!’ on the posters, referring to the mayor of Amsterdam. Residents of Hengelo and Groningen found that a bit strange.
But FvD leader Baudet announced on Wednesday evening that he sees a bright future. “Five more years!” he chanted towards the full hall.