The rise of the far right with protests at asylum shelters is driving the Dutch local elections.
Far-right and local political parties gained significant ground in municipal elections after strong local resistance to plans for asylum shelters (Asielopvang – housing facilities for asylum seekers) across several municipalities.
In Terneuzen, the PVV (Partij voor de Vrijheid – Party for Freedom) more than doubled its seats, rising from three to seven and becoming the largest party. The party strongly opposed plans to open an asylum shelter, an issue that dominated the local election campaign and mobilized voters.
Initially, a majority of the municipal council supported establishing a shelter on an industrial estate, but the plan was later abandoned due to public unrest. The controversy led to the resignation of Mayor إريك فان ميرينبوير after local officials refused to approve the required permit. PVV candidate باتريك فان دير هوف said the party’s success was largely driven by opposition to the shelter.
The PVV also emerged as the largest party in several other municipalities, including Zoetermeer, Papendrecht, Pekela, and Stadskanaal. Party leader خيرت فيلدرز praised voters for what he described as strong election results, reflecting growing public dissatisfaction with asylum policies.
Meanwhile, the far-right FvD (Forum voor Democratie – Forum for Democracy) saw major gains, quadrupling its vote count to around 300,000. The party expanded its reach by participating in more municipalities than before and is expected to secure seats in nearly all areas where it competed.