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Dutch/Belgian elections

Dunenewt
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Anathema

Anathema

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Posted

It seems that all the international attention we get focuses on Wilders.

Something more notable IMO is that the VVD, our right-wing liberal party, has become the biggest party. This means that we'll (probably) get our first liberal Prime-Minister since 90+ years ago. Previous PM's were always christian- or social-democrats.

The possibility of a minority government aside, the most likely coalitions are:

-VVD (liberals) + CDA (christian-democrats) + PVV (nationalist bigots, led by Geert Wilders)

-VVD (liberals) + PvdA (labour) + D66 (progressive/liberal) + Groenlinks (green party)

-VVD (liberals) + CDA (christian-democrats) + PvdA (labour)

None of these combinations are particulary desirable for the VVD, for different reasons. Personally I hope it will be the second one, effectively a Purple government with the Green party added to it.

So, can anyone explain to me what exactly happened in the Belgian elections. For example... who won? All I see is chaos.

I didn't really follow the Belgian elections, but here's what I know:

The NVA (New Flemish Alliance) started out as a minor partner to the christian democrats a couple of years back, but turned out as the biggest Flemish (and Belgian) party this election. AFAIK all the other Flemish parties lost (including the notoriously racist Vlaams Belang)

The NVA are nationalists, otherwise they're pretty much in the centre as far as economic policy is concerned. Their long term goal is an independent Flemish state, but for now what they want to achieve is a confederal Belgium as opposed to the current federation.

On the Walloon side, the socialists are by far the biggest party and therefore a logical coalition partner. Their local racist party, the Front National, loses all seats. None of the Walloon parties really want any structural reform of the state, but some fear that if they keep refusing Flemish nationalism will grow bigger and more radical.

vota dc

vota dc

Posted
Posted

Like Fortuyn, Wilders comes from VVD. So option 1 make more sense. The other just doesn't make sense: liberals allied with "children eater".

For Belgian elections we have the socialist Elio Di Rupo that won at the south, while in north secessionist won: there are two winners.

It is quite funny that in italian newspapers describe N-VA, Batasuna, PNV, SNP and even PKK as nazis. They know that if Belgium is over the next could be Italy. Belgium would be the first territorial change after WW2 that doesn't involve the fall of a communist regime.

Anathema

Anathema

Posted
Posted

Who would be the "children eaters"?  ???

While it's true that Wilders himself was originally a VVD member, his new party doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to his old one. If you disregard the PVV's stance on Islam, it would almost be a carbon copy of the Socialist Party.

Edric O

Edric O

Posted
Posted
No communists there?

Unfortunately, no, there are no big communist parties there. But the Socialist Party in the Netherlands is the next best thing, under the circumstances.

While it's true that Wilders himself was originally a VVD member, his new party doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to his old one. If you disregard the PVV's stance on Islam, it would almost be a carbon copy of the Socialist Party.

You mean the PVV has some other policies besides hating Muslims? Personally, I never heard Wilders talk about anything other than immigration, but my source on European elections lists the PVV's ideology as "conservative liberalism." I can't check for myself because the PVV website is only in Dutch, but the Parties and Elections website is usually accurate.

But anyway, disregarding the PVV's stance on Islam is like disregarding the PVV's existence.

Something more notable IMO is that the VVD, our right-wing liberal party, has become the biggest party. This means that we'll (probably) get our first liberal Prime-Minister since 90+ years ago. Previous PM's were always christian- or social-democrats.

Bloody liberals. :P

  • 2 weeks later...
nemafakei

nemafakei

Posted
Posted

Wilders needs something to differentiate his PVV from the VVD else his voter base is just islamophobic VVD voters. One of his headline policies is not raising the pension age, which the three major parties are in favour of. He's also got some other populist policies. The PVV allows the right block to cover more political ground without committing to much; Wilders' only realistic coalition options are VVD and CDA (with possible SGP support), so basically, he's going to need to drop popular policies and he knows it. So Wilders doesn't much want to participate in government right now, he wants to wait until his hand is stronger.

  • 1 month later...
  • 2 months later...
Edric O

Edric O

Posted
Posted

[c=#00dd00]Well, it's official. The first act of the free market liberals after winning the elections for the first time in over 90 years is to make a coalition with fascists. Wilders is in.[/c]

Anathema

Anathema

Posted
Posted

[c=#00dd00]Well, it's official. The first act of the free market liberals after winning the elections for the first time in over 90 years is to make a coalition with fascists. Wilders is in.[/c]

[c=#ff7700]Technically, it's only official since 13:15 today or so, since that was the time the cabinet was installed :P

The PVV don't get to man any departments with ministers, they've just made an agreement that they'll back a VVD-CDA coalition in return for a supposed reduction in immigration and some other stuff. I'm not happy about the situation, but I don't expect that VVD or CDA could be pressed into doing something that flat out breaches human rights like the PVV advocates.[/c]

Edric O

Edric O

Posted
Posted
PVV aren't fascist at all! I'd say this is quite accurate.

[c=#00dd00]The PVV are a right-wing political party whose entire platform consists of bashing a minority group and blaming them for all the country's problems. The only thing that's missing for them to be textbook fascists is a paramilitary wing that engages in street violence against said minority group.[/c]

athanasios

athanasios

Posted
Posted

Wikipedia:

In February 2007, PVV parliamentarian Fritsma introduced a motion that would have prohibited any parliamentarian or executive branch politician from having dual citizenship. The PVV claims that it is unclear where a dual national's loyalty lies. The motion would have made it difficult if not impossible for Labour MPs Ahmed Aboutaleb and Nebahat Albayrak to become members of the new government...

This suffices to call them fascists.

  • 1 month later...

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