Wilders says he looks forward to returning to opposition as far-right PVV leader

PVV leader Geert Wilders said he was still holding out hope that his far-right nationalist party would remain the largest in the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of Parliament. He also hoped to join the next governing coalition, but also telling reporters, "Being in opposition is much more fun."

Wilders said that if his party does not become the largest party after Wednesday's election, it might happen again with the next election. "And that might be easier if there is a Jetten Cabinet," the PVV leader said with a swipe towards D66 leader Rob Jetten.

Exit polling from Ipsos I&O showed D66 potentially winning triple the total number of Tweede Kamer seats it won in 2023, bringing their total up to 27. That same poll showed the PVV falling from 37 parliamentarians down to 25. There are 150 seats in the Tweede Kamer.

"I regret the loss, but it's not like we've been wiped off the map," Wilders said. He added that the PVV had "significant influence, and that will likely continue for some time."

The PVV assumed power as a formal part of a coalition after its landslide victory in the 2023 elections. That was the first time the PVV was in power, aside from loosely propping up the first Cabinet of Prime Minister Mark Rutte. This past spring, Wilders suddenly pulled the PVV out of the Cabinet when he demanded immediate additional measures to tackle the asylum crisis, but without presenting policy to Parliament.

This despite his own party being in charge of asylum policy within the Cabinet, led by Prime Minister Dick Schoof. Wilders failed to get his way.

According to the PVV leader, the election outcome would have been even worse if he had stayed in the Cabinet longer and did not achieve anything on the asylum issue. That said, all four coalition parties had already made agreements on asylum policy, and largely agreed on the measures which were needed. "The damage to the Netherlands and the party would have been much greater if we had stayed in power."

He also did not want to downplay the loss of 12 seats. "We are still in second, and perhaps soon the largest, party in the Netherlands." The Ipsos I&O poll carried a margin of error that meant there was a slight chance the PVV or D66 could gain or lose up to two seats as the ballots are counted.

D66's rise to power began when Rob Jetten replaced Wilders in the political debate hosted by RTL. "Mr. Jetten did a good job. He campaigned well, and whatever I think of his ideas, he deserves a big compliment for that."

Despite frequent clashes with GroenLinks-PvdA leader Frans Timmermans, Wilders said he had "nothing but respect" for the left-wing politician. Timmermans resigned from his leadership role after an exit poll showed his party was due to lose one-fifth of their 25 seats in Parliament. "I'm not going to say anything negative about that," Wilders told reporters Wednesday evening.

The PVV leader himself is not considering retiring. "You won't be rid of me until I'm 80," the 62-year-old said. "I can still hear Timmermans saying, 'The Wilders era is over.' Well, brace yourself. I'm just getting started," he concluded with a smile

While most parties had rented a venue to watch the election results with their supporters, Geert Wilders spoke to the press in the Tweede Kamer building itself. Wilders was also less visible during the campaign. However, he maintains that the disappointing result for the PVV had nothing to do with his limited presence and diminished performance at other debates.