Platinum blonde hair, far-right views and surprise election success. Sound familiar? Geert Wilders has been compared to former U.S. President Donald Trump for good reason, having built his political identity around a hard line anti-immigration stance and nationalist ideology.

Wilders' seemingly unlikely bid to become the Netherlands' new Prime Minister was built around those same core values. Throughout his election campaign he vowed to curb migration and promoted the idea of leaving the European Union and stopping weapons supply to Ukraine to boost the country's own military.

After a 25-year career in politics without holding office, Wilders' window of opportunity to become leader had seemingly passed, but he struck a chord with voters and won 37 seats from a possible 150. He must now form a coalition with rival parties to secure the 76 seats he needs to govern.

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He faces an uphill task. Before the election the country's other leading parties vowed not to work with him if he won, but the sizable margin of victory of his Freedom Party (PVV) - the second placed Labour-Green Alliance could only muster 25 seats - could persuade them to change their minds. 

The wild child of Dutch politics

Wilders cut his political teeth as a member of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), but quit over what he saw as the party's mild stance on Islam and immigration. In 2006, he founded the Freedom Party and put anti-Islamic sentiment at the heart of the party's movement.

But where did his views originate? Wilders' time with VVD saw him travel extensively across the Middle East as a parliamentary assistant to the party's leader, Frits Bolkestein, who was one of the first Dutch politicians to discuss the consequences of mass immigration on Dutch society. 

Bolkestein's outspoken, controversial style also provided a template for Wilders to court the attention of the wider public. After he was appointed as party spokesman on foreign affairs in 2002, he used his new platform to become more outspoken about Islamic radicalism and its impact on the country's Muslim community. 

Alongside another party member, Ayaan Hirsi, Wilders published a letter in NRC Handelsblad in 2003 calling for a "liberal jihad" against Islamic radicalism. Growing increasingly frustrated with the party's views on Islam, he proceeded to criticize a number of their policies, including their support of Türkiye's accession to the EU, leading to warnings from its leadership over his conduct.

Upon leaving the party in 2006, he remained in parliament as an independent and won nine of 150 seats in the election that same year. His popularity came as a surprise to many and highlighted the growing number of people who shared his far-right views across the country.

Wilder's war with Islam

Wilder's growing popularity and extreme views have come at a price. Since 2004, Wilders has required 24/7 police protection over fears he could be the target of an assassination attempt by Islamic extremists. He's frequently been forced to move houses, areas and even spent time in a government safe house.

In 2004, Wilders received online death threats from three men, who posted a video of the lawmaker along with text and a voiceover calling for his beheading. That only seemed to reinforce his suspicion of Islam and in 2008 he released a short film, Fitna, in which he attempts to demonstrate that the Qur'an motivates its followers to hate all who violate Islamic teachings.

The film sparked protests in Muslim countries, including Pakistan, Indonesia and Egypt and he was banned from entering the UK after initially being invited to the House of Lords for a screening of the film. Wilders had been served a letter from the Home Office refusing him entry because his opinions "threaten community security and therefore public security." He attempted to defy that ban but was greeted by security at Heathrow Airport and ordered to return to the Netherlands.

During his 2017 election campaign, Wilders was forced to pause his campaign following a security scare involving one of his own bodyguards - whom he suspected had leaked information to a Moroccan criminal gang. The individual in question was subjected to a police investigation, that ultimately revealed no links, while a special unit of the military police was added to his security team.

That same year he was convicted for discrimination against Moroccans after leading a chant at a campaign rally in 2014, when he asked the crowd whether they wanted more, or fewer Moroccans. After supporters chanted "Fewer" he answered: "We're going to take care of that." Wilders said in 2021, when the Supreme Court upheld his conviction, that he was the victim of a "witch hunt" and a broken legal system.

International reputation

Wilders' election success has sparked concerns across the EU, who fear he could attempt to engineer the Netherlands' exit from the bloc. A self-proclaimed fan of nationalist Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Wilders is explicitly anti-EU, urging the Netherlands to take back control of its borders, to significantly reduce its payments to the union, and to block the entrance of any new members.

On Wednesday, French far-right leader Marine Le Pen hailed his impending election victory. On the social media platform X, she tweeted: "Congratulations to @geertwilderspvv and the PVV for their spectacular performance in the legislative elections which confirms the growing attachment to the defense of national identities.

"It is because there are people who refuse to see the national torch extinguished that the hope for change remains alive in Europe," she said.

Elsewhere, Hungarian PM Orban sent his congratulations on the same platform. He tweeted: "The winds of change are here! Congratulations to Geert Wilders on winning the Dutch elections!" 

But the response of other political figures has been lukewarm. German EU Minister, Anna Luehrmann, said: "The high level of support for anti-European forces in the Netherlands is bitter. All pro-Europeans must now work to ensure that this does not happen again in the European elections. Because Europe protects our freedom, our democracy, and our security."

The European Greens Party also delivered concerned remarks. "The election result is very worrying and marks a clear shift to the far-right in the Netherlands," read a statement from the party. All democratic parties of the political centre must now join forces and prevent the progression of extremist ideologies."

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