Eight Reasons Why The Dutch Election Matters
by Saxo Bank’s Martin O’Rourke via TradingFloor.com,
ZeroHedge.com
Feb 23, 2017
The Netherlands’ general election takes place on March 15
Geert Wilders far-right Party for Freedom expected to emerge first
Wilders path to premiership likely to be blocked by moderate coalition
Support for Wilders’ anti-immigration, anti-EU stance fits populist narrative
Key lessons for Europe ahead of French and German elections
Brussels looking for consolidation after Brexit and Italian referendum rockets
Now what is it about that Wilders fellow that seems so familiar?
If we needed any reminders that 2016 was the year when the anti-establishment phenomena broke through the glass ceiling, then this week’s Brexit-bill debate among the arch-establishment House of Lords institution was it.
The irony of the non-elected house discussing the bill that will eventually pave the way for the trigger of Article 50 before March 31 will not have been lost on many. It was, after all, the protest element of the Brexit vote that saw the UK electorate deliberately snub what their elites dictated they must do and establish the barricades between the establishment and the disaffected.
And that unleashed genie has gone on to cause havoc ever since. The victory of Donald Trump in the US and the rejection of Italian prime minister Matteo Renzi’s constitutional reform referendum in December struck a powerful blow at the heart of the establishment foundations.
Yet, the traffic has not all been one way. Austrian voters rejected the far-right Freedom Party leader Heinz-Christian Strache in December in presidential elections, and Marine Le Pen’s efforts to become the next president of France still look likely to be stymied at the second round in May despite a collapse in support for scandal-hit rival Francois Fillon briefly making her the race favourite.
The stage looks set, then. If 2016 was the year of the breakthrough, 2017 could see the status-quo fightback, with Europe likely to form the battleground ahead of pivotal elections. And, while next month’s general election in The Netherlands may not be the biggest showdown of the year, the outcome could set the tone for 2017.
The far-right PVV party, platformed on an anti-immigration, anti-European Union ticket, looks likely to emerge as the biggest party after March 15, but controversial leader Geert Wilders is almost certain to be snubbed when it comes to either the prime minister role or a top ministerial role. Nevertheless, a moderate coalition made up of numerous parties may find itself somewhat hobbled depending on the actual outcome.
We give eight reasons why the Dutch elections matter.
The Rest…HERE
