Flemish far-right party Vlaams Belang (VB) and Marine Le Pen’s Rassemblement National (RN) in France have applauded Dutch politician Geert Wilders for his party’s performance at parliamentary elections on Wednesday.
“Undoubtedly, people crave real change, not just in the Netherlands but also in Flanders,” VB leader Tom Van Grieken commented in a press release after news broke that Wilders’ far-right Partij voor de Vrijheid (PVV - Party for Freedom), appeared to have emerged as the main victor in the elections.
According to exit polls, the party is likely to secure 35 seats – up from 17 – outstripping all other political groups in parliamentary presence.
Van Grieken congratulated Wilders wholeheartedly on his win. “Immigration was clearly the pivotal issue in these elections, and rightfully so. The significance and influence of immigration cannot be overlooked,” he remarked.
Van Grieken also expects fruitful cooperation with the PVV. “We have been working together for several years, and we will continue to do so,” the Vlaams Belang leader said in his statement. “Across Europe, we can see the same right-wing wind blowing.”
In France, RN leader Marine Le Pen, a former French presidential candidate, hailed Wilders and the PVV “for their spectacular legislative performance, which underscores the growing commitment to protecting 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," Le Pen noted on X (previously Twitter).
