By Bart H. Meijer
THE HAGUE (Reuters) – Dutch Muslims expressed shock on Thursday on the election win of far-right populist Geert Wilders, who has beforehand referred to as for mosques and the Koran to be banned within the Netherlands.
Wilders and his Freedom Social gathering (PVV) beat all predictions on Wednesday evening by successful 37 seats out of 150 within the Dutch parliament, effectively forward of a Labour/Inexperienced mixture and the outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s conservatives.
“These election outcomes are stunning for Dutch Muslims. We didn’t count on such a celebration with a programme that’s in opposition to the fundamental rules of the rule of legislation to be so large,” mentioned Muhsin Koktas of Muslim group CMO.
Muslims make up round 5% of he Dutch inhabitants of virtually 18 million individuals.
“It was a blow I’ve to course of,” Abdessamad Taheri, a 45-year previous group employee within the multi-ethnic Schilderswijk neighbourhood in The Hague instructed Reuters.
Mehdi Koc, a 41-year-old insulation installer, mentioned he was shocked by the swing to the PVV, whereas Taheri mentioned the vote despatched completely different messages to Muslims, though the overwhelming emotion was of disappointment.
“Partly the message is that many individuals are xenophobic and don’t need foreigners or Muslims. However one other message is that persons are very disillusioned in 13 years of Rutte,” he mentioned.
Nonetheless, Taheri, a member of the Labour celebration, mentioned he might not likely separate that from all of the “nasty issues” Wilders had mentioned about banning head scarves and shutting mosques.
After his shock win, Wilders mentioned he needed to be prime minister for all Dutch individuals, however that appeared to do little to assuage considerations about what he may do later.
“In case you say sure to Wilders now, than you’ll have to say sure later when he closes down all of the mosques, as a result of you then can’t return,” Koc mentioned, warning that Wilders won’t lose sight of his eventual targets.
Some within the Netherlands suppose that the Dutch system of coalition authorities means Wilders should compromise on his most radical views, as political analysts additionally predict.
“He won’t make the legal guidelines alone (different events) will be part of and so they must cooperate,” Kemal Yildiz, 54, mentioned.
“Will probably be wonderful,” Yildiz added.
(This story has been refiled to repair the primary identify of Abdessamad Taheri in paragraph 5)
(Reporting by Stephanie van den Berg and Bart Meijer; Modifying by Alexander Smith)