Argentina and Netherlands have both just experienced a political earthquake with two somewhat odd Trump-like figures winning bigly. Javier Milei has been elected Argentina's new president and Geert Wilders' party has just achieved a significant victory that may end up with him leading a coalition majority and being elected the next prime minister of the Netherlands.
Wilders has been called the Dutch Donald Trump. He's been threatened with death countless times by Islamic extremists, convicted of insulting Moroccans, and Britain once banned him from entering the country, according to AP.
In his first reaction, posted in a video on X, formerly Twitter, he spread his arms wide, put his face in his hands and said simply "35!" the number of seats an exit poll forecast his Party for Freedom, or PVV, won in the 150-seat lower house of parliament.
"The PVV wants to, from a fantastic position with 35 seats that can totally no longer be ignored by any party, cooperate with other parties," he told cheering supporters.
Whether he can piece together a stable coalition with former political foes remains to be seen. Even if he does, critics are unsure of his ability to lead or succeed in his stated goals to change the country.
In 2009, the British government refused to let him visit, saying he posed a threat to "community harmony and therefore public security." Wilders had been invited to Britain by a member of Parliament's upper house, the House of Lords, to show his 15-minute film "Fitna," which criticizes the Quran as a "fascist book." The film sparked violent protests around the Muslim world in 2008 for linking Quranic verses with footage of terrorist attacks.
"The winds of change are here!" Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said in a celebratory post.
Experts who are unhappy with Wilders' win, warn that regardless of whether the far-right leader wins power, or in what capacity, the outcome of the Dutch elections is particularly bad news for the European Union, which alongside Islam and immigration remains one of Wilders' ideological obsessions. In addition to campaigning for a Brexit style "Nexit" referendum, Wilders also advocates ending the free movement of labor within the E.U. and, perhaps most concerning of all for the bloc, cutting military aid to Ukraine. Nationalist leaders in several countries including Austria, Belgium, Italy, France, Germany, and Spain all rejoiced at the prospect of another nationalist, anti-establishment voice joining their ranks.
Jordan, the Palestinian Authority, and the Arab League have denounced Geert Wilders' suggestion to relocate Palestinians to Jordan. This proposal by Wilders, a politician noted for his anti-Islam views and support for Israel, has been met with widespread criticism.
Jordan, voicing its objection separately, has been backed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Yemen, and the Arab League in this stance. The UAE's embassy in the Netherlands specifically condemned Wilders' statements as reckless and a violation of Jordan's sovereignty.
Wilders has been a vocal advocate for Israel, consistently endorsing the establishment of Israeli settlements in the West Bank. He has frequently proposed that Jordan is the rightful home for Palestinians, presenting this as a potential resolution to the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Javier Milei, an unconventional figure known for his experiences with tantric sex, cosplay, and performing in a Rolling Stones tribute band, as well as smashing a central bank-shaped piñata on TV and staging an opera about public spending while dressed as a superhero, has now ventured into Argentine politics. Identifying as an "anarcho-capitalist," Milei won the presidential election on November 19th with 56% of the vote, defeating Sergio Massa, the current economy minister and a candidate from the Peronist movement.
Milei, who only became a legislator in 2021, formed his coalition, Liberty Advances, two years ago. Remarkably, his coalition secured victories in 21 out of Argentina's 24 provinces. His message resonated with voters, particularly his criticism of a "privileged caste" of politicians accused of exploiting ordinary citizens. This sentiment was amplified by recent scandals, including the conviction of current Vice-President Cristina Ferna'ndez de Kirchner in a $1 billion fraud case (which she disputes).
Shortly after Milei's victory, former US president Donald Trump posted on social media: "Congratulations to Javier Milei on a great race for president of Argentina... you will turn your country around and truly make Argentina great again!"
Milei responded by thanking Trump: "Your presidency was an example for all those of us who defend the ideas of freedom."
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