Dutch Nationalist Wilders Eyes Win as Netherlands Kicks Off EU Voting

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Dutch nationalist Geert Wilders looked set for new electoral gains on Thursday 6 June 2024 as the Netherlands kicks off four days of voting in the European Parliament election held across the 27 EU member states.

A nationwide opinion poll published on the eve of the vote put Wilders' anti-immigration Freedom Party (PVV) in a tie for first place with the Labour/GreenLeft combination, with both projected to get eight seats.

This would mean a huge gain for Wilders, who failed to secure a seat in the previous EU election in 2019.

Labour and GreenLeft won six and three seats respectively, four years ago. The two left-wing parties run on a joint ticket this year but will have separate factions in parliament after the vote.

Wilders is riding a wave of support in the Netherlands, where his promises of a crackdown on asylum migration already brought him a large win at the general election in November last year.

Following months of tense talks, the 60-year-old political veteran last month secured a deal with three other conservative parties to form a right-wing government, which is expected to be sworn in by the end of the month.

That coalition said it would take a tough stance in Brussels, seeking exemptions on EU asylum and environmental rules and a significant cut in the Dutch contribution to the EU budget.

Wilders for years said the Dutch should leave the union, but changed his tone in the run-up to this election and dropped his aim of holding a referendum on the country's EU membership.

Instead, he said his party would now aim to limit the EU's powers from within parliament, joining a possible coalition with the parties of Italy's and France's far-right leaders Giorgia Meloni and Marine Le Pen.

An exit poll will be published when voting closes in the Netherlands on Thursday at 21:00 (19:00 GMT). Results will be announced when polls have closed in all member states, Sunday at 21:00 GMT.