Despite a Far-Right Victory, Constraints Will Moderate the Netherlands' Next Government

While the Dutch general election has increased the possibility of a far-right-led government, a fragmented parliament reduces the chances of radical changes in the country's domestic and foreign policies. Coalition talks continue in the Netherlands following the Nov. 22 general election, in which Geert Wilders' far-right Party for Freedom, or PVV, led with 23.6% of the votes, followed by former EU Commissioner for Climate Frans Timmermans' Green Left-Labor Party alliance with 15.7%. The outgoing liberal right-wing People's Party for Freedom and Democracy, or VVD, of former Prime Minister Mark Rutte (now led by outgoing Justice Minister Dilan Yesilgoz-Zegerius) won 15.2% of the vote, and Pieter Omtzigt's recently formed center-right New Social Contract, or NSC, won 12.9%. The PVV is projected to secure 37 seats in the country's 150-seat parliament, which means it needs coalition partners to form a government. ...