It has been a busy week here, so I am getting around to this story only now, a couple of days after these election results managed to stun most of the rest of Europe.
Netherlands had an election on Wednesday, the 23rd - two days ago as I write this. The results of that election sent jolts throughout Europe and, indeed, the entire world. It also seems to serve as confirmation of a political trend that appears to have spread around the world. Namely, the rise of far-right wing extremism.
Geert Wilders, the leader of the far-right PVV, managed to stun all of Europe with a huge victory in these Dutch election.
Wilders has been a controversial figure for some time. Generally regarded as a populist, and leaning towards being anti-Islamic. Yesterday's election victory by Wilders and his PVV generally shocked all of Europe, and even the world.
It is just more confirmation of the overall trend. Similar far-right extremist political gains in polls and elections across Europe having already taken place in traditional major western democracies, including Great Britain, France, and Germany, as well as numerous other countries. They have outright won prominent representation already in governments in Italy, Austria and Hungary. Giorgia Meloni is presently the far-right Premier of Italy. And Hungary presently has the most far-right extremist government in all of Europe, with leader Viktor Orbán and his Fidesz (Hungarian Civic Alliance) having been in power there already for years. Austria has had far-right extremists represented in high government positions in the past, and there are indicators and projections that they might enjoy similar political wins for next year's elections.
And that just covers Europe. Similar extremism has clearly gained traction in the United States, with the political rise of King Con Don and his Cult 45 MAGA followers. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has also brought increasingly authoritarian rule to Turkey. In the Philippines, former president Rodrigo Duterte once seemed to compare himself to Hitler, and then stated that he would "be happy" to exterminate three million drug users and pushers in his country. That's not a misprint, or a slander, but Duterte's own words. Here, specifically, is what he said, according to a Reuters news report from 2016 (see link below):
Duterte told reporters that he had been "portrayed to be a cousin of Hitler" by critics.
Noting that Hitler had murdered millions of Jews, Duterte said, "There are 3 million drug addicts (in the Philippines). I'd be happy to slaughter them.
"If Germany had Hitler, the Philippines would have ...," he said, pausing and pointing to himself.
"You know my victims. I would like (them) to be all criminals to finish the problem of my country and save the next generation from perdition."
Duterte's successor is Ferdinand Marcos Jr., son of former leader Ferdinand Marcos, the former dictator who ruled his country under martial law for nine years. Infamously, his wife owned thousands of pairs of shoes and over a dozen mink coats, as well as other extravagances. All of this while millions in the Philippines lived in dire poverty, hunger, and hopelessness. Marcos opposed any serious investigation of Duterte, particularly the abuses from his war on drugs,, and has used disinformation in order to promote a very different image of his father's rule than actually existed.
Indeed, the rise of far-right wing extremism and increasing totalitarianism appears to be on the rise in so many places around the world, that it feels truly like a worldwide phenomenon. Luckily, it is not happening everywhere. Still, it is clearly happening in enough places, and seemingly all at once, that it should serve as a warning for us all.
The latest news from the Netherlands, and the election successes of Geert Wilders, reminds us that this unfortunate political trend of growing influence and gains for far-right extremism and authoritarianism is far from over.
In fact, it appears to be just the latest sign that this is growing far more serious.
In a political shift to the far right, anti-Islam populist Geert Wilders wins big in Dutch election by Mike Corder and Raf Casert, November 23, 2023:
https://apnews.com/article/netherlands-election-candidates-prime-minister-wilders-9ed5752f49315517876f1646d4c2d4f2
Philippines' Duterte likens himself to Hitler, wants to kill millions of drug users by Karen Lema and Manuel Mogato September 30, 2016:
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-philippines-duterte-hitler-idUSKCN1200B9/
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