Geert Wilders drops ‘Nexit’ pledge in European elections manifesto

Hard-Right firebrand Geert Wilders has dropped his pledge for a Brexit-style referendum for the Netherlands in an attempt to form a government.

The veteran populist whose party won the most seats in the Dutch general election after promising to hold a “Nexit” referendum on leaving the EU and introduce a ban on mosques, Islamic headscarves in public buildings and possession of the Koran.

But having gained 37 seats – short of the required 76-seat majority – Mr Wilders has struggled to find mainstream conservative parties willing to join a coalition government led by his Freedom Party (PVV).

He has gradually dropped swathes of anti-Islamic policies and even promised not to be prime minister in the hope of unlocking talks between the PVV and three other centre-Right parties.

The latest concession in a move to the centre ground has seen his promise of a “binding referendum on Nexit” scrubbed from the party’s manifesto ahead of the European parliamentary elections in June.

Instead the populist remains fiercely opposed to a “European superstate”, with a pledge to “work hard to change the Union from within”.

“Co-operating with other countries is fine, but while keeping our national sovereignty and identity,” the manifesto added.

The move brings the PVV in line with Europe’s other eurosceptic heavyweights, such as Marine Le Pen’s National Rally in France and Germany’s AfD, which have all withdrawn promises to quit the EU in favour of a more reformist approach to the bloc.

Ahead of the European elections, Mr Wilders has called for an end to the “expansion of unelected eurocrats in Brussels” and promised to campaign against EU environmental regulations.

“It’s up to us to decide whether we eat meat, take a plane, or drive a petrol car. Not Brussels,” his manifesto states.

Migration strategy

It also calls for a Dutch opt-out on EU asylum issues and an “extremely restrictive migration strategy”.

The radical Farmers movement (BBB) and centre-Right New Social Contract and Party for Freedom and Democracy all favour co-operation with Brussels.

With support for Ukraine seen as widely positive by Dutch voters, PVV has also promised to give its backing to Kyiv’s fight “against the Russian aggressor”.

Last month, an Ipsos I&O poll found the hard-Right party could win 25 per cent of the Dutch vote on June 6, roughly the same as it won to become the largest party in the November general election.