Dutch far-right populist PVV loses poll lead for first time since 2023 elections

THE HAGUE, April 28 (Xinhua) -- For the first time since the 2023 general elections, the far-right populist Party for Freedom (PVV) lost its lead in a major opinion poll, no longer ranking as the largest party in the Netherlands, according to a survey result published Monday.

"The poll confirms the trend of the last few months," the polling agency Maurice de Hond reported, "with a clear increase in GroenLinks/PvdA (GreenLeft Labor alliance) and VVD (the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy) and a decrease in other coalition parties and Democrats 66. For the first time, GroenLinks/PvdA is larger than the PVV."

The polling agency said that heightened worries about global stability and a looming economic downturn may have steered voters toward mainstream parties since Donald Trump regained the U.S. presidency.

In the latest poll, the PVV dropped one seat to 28 seats. GroenLinks-PvdA rose to 29. In the previous poll by Maurice de Hond in mid-April, the PVV was still in joint first place with GroenLinks-PvdA.

In the elections on Nov. 22, 2023, the PVV, led by party leader Geert Wilders, got 37 of the 150 seats in the House of Representatives, or the lower house of the parliament, and became the biggest party in the Netherlands for the first time in history.

GroenLinks-PvdA finished second on 25 seats, the VVD third on 24 seats and the New Social Contract (NSC) fourth on 20 seats. A new government was presented on July 2, 2024, consisting of the PVV, NSC, VVD and the Farmer-Citizen Movement (BBB). Enditem