The parliamentary elections in the Netherlands pit the incumbent center/right Prime Minister Mark Rutte's party against the neo-fascist, anti-immigrant, anti-EU party of demagogue Geert Wilders, who has become a hero to the far- right in the U.S. (see bigoted shitpile Rep. Steve "Cantaloupe Calves" King for example). It's the first electoral test of an active white nationalist movement in western Europe, a movement backed by Russian autocrat Vladimir "Vlad the Invader" Putin, who want western democracies to decline into fragmented isolationism as his expansionist kleptocracy expands beyonds its borders. However, with 15 parties in the Netherlands, Wilders' chances of gaining even 20% of the seats are slim, and should he win a small plurality of seats, other major parties in the Netherlands have vowed not to form a government with his far-right party. Polls in the Netherlands close at 4 o'clock Eastern time, so preliminary indications of the Dutch vote should be available later today.
France goes to the polls in April to elect a new government. Far-right candidate Marine LePen has pledged to "liberate" France from the European Union (something that delights Putin) and to roll back laws favorable to immigration. Ominously, Le Pen's party has received financial backing from Russia and would be beholden to the Kremlin if they succeed in the elections.
When Russia intervened in the 2016 elections on behalf of their neo-fascist poodle Donald "Rump" Trump, they succeeded in their wildest dreams: deny Secretary Clinton the election, and install a man in the White House that has been compromised by them or bought by their oligarchs' money. Now, they're pushing to topple liberal democracies in western Europe, thereby threatening the NATO alliance and the European Union. It's not to late for the voters in the Netherlands, France and other democracies to spoil their election plans, even if it's too late for the U.S.
UPDATE: Exit polls indicate that Prime Minister Mark Rutte's party has won the election, defeating far-right demagogue Geert Wilders' insurgents by a substantial margin.
UPDATE II: Here's PM Mark Rutte (emphasis added):
“This night is a night for the Netherlands — after Brexit, after the American elections — where we said, ‘Stop it, stop it,’ to the wrong kind of populism,” Rutte told cheering supporters at his election-night party.The French and German foreign ministries chimed in as well:
Large majority of Dutch voters have rejected anti European populists. That's good news. We need you for a strong #Europe! #tk2017 @MinBZ— GermanForeignOffice (@GermanyDiplo) March 15, 2017
Félicitations aux Néerlandais d'avoir enrayé la montée de l'extrême droite. Volonté de travailler à une Europe plus forte.— Jean-Marc Ayrault (@jeanmarcayrault) March 15, 2017
(Which translates to, “Congratulations to the Netherlands for halting the advance of the far right. Willingness to work for a stronger Europe.”)
