Established Parties Fear Wilders in European Elections

NIS News ^ | June 03 2008

[knighthawk]

BRUSSELS, 04/06/08 - The Christian democrats (CDA), Labour (PvdA) and the conservatives (VVD), the three traditional establishment parties, want to put forward 'big names' as their front-runners in the European Parliament elections. According to Algemeen Dagblad, they thereby want to offer a counterweight to Party for Freedom (PVV) leader Geert Wilders.

"The Netherlands wants to turn out next year in Europe with extra 'strong' front-runners to block the path of Party for Freedom (PVV) leader Geert Wilders," according to Algemeen Dagblad. "Certainly the three big parties are looking for a counterweight with front-runners who are well-known and popular and can make short shrift in debates and TV appearances of what they see as 'crude PVV populism'," the newspaper analysed.

Algemeen Dagblad cannot however name any names. It does name a number of prominent people who have declined. "In the CDA, the name of former Foreign Minister Ben Bot circulated for a while and in the PvdA, that of former Minister Jan Pronk (Environment, Development Cooperation), but "the candidacy of Bot is already over and that of Pronk was based on a misunderstanding."

The PVV initially did not want to stand at the European Parliament elections in 2009 because it wanted to focus on its successful 'integration' in Dutch politics. Wilders has however changed his mind. Particularly because Rita Verdonk's Proud of the Netherlands (TON) is not taking part, there are electoral opportunities, he said recently in De Telegraaf.

Some polls suggest TON and PVV combined have more voters between them than any other individual party. Wilders actually advocates the abolition of the EP, but as long as its still exists, he is aiming to work on its abolition from inside, Wilders said earlier.

[knighthawk]

Ping

[facedown]

Some polls suggest TON and PVV combined have more voters between them than any other individual party.

Sounds like an opportunity.