Exit poll puts far-right populist Wilders ahead in Dutch election
A victory for the man with peroxide hair would be a political earthquake - felt beyond the Netherlands' borders. Forming a government would also be complicated, with possible partners uncertain.
You're viewing a single thread.
The lawmaker, who has previously been labelled a Dutch version of Donald Trump, will have to form a coalition government before he can take the reins of power.
And here we see evidence of why proportional voting systems provide a defence against populists and authoritarians by moderating extremes. Wilders is softening his xenophobic rhetoric in order to facilitate compromise. If the UK had PR, Brexit would never have happened.
I mean, I do agree PR is better than FPTP, just for different reasons. Brexit is bad sure, but I'm not sure I'd want UKIP to have >12% of seats in parliament either.
I'm a salty remainer who detests Farage but there's something deeply undemocratic when a party can get 10-15% of the vote and achieve no elected parliamentary representation, while the Tories get an unassailable majority with 34% of the vote
I'll put up with some Farage-ist mouth breathers in westminster if we actually got some democracy in return
Exactly.
See my original comment: "I do agree PR is better than FPTP".
It's good because it's democratic, not because it particularly favours or dis-favours fascism.