Geert Wilders kicks off his election campaign on Saturday, promising to ban Muslim immigration and close all the mosques in the Netherlands, hoping a global upsurge in populism will propel him to power. "I want us in government," Wilders said earlier this week, promising to "de-Islamise" the Netherlands with policies that echo, and go further than, those of U.S. President Donald Trump. But even if he does win, Wilders would struggle to form a government since most major parties have ruled out joining a coalition with him. The launch of the campaign for the March 15 parliamentary election, is in Spijkenisse, a suburb of the Freedom Party stronghold of Rotterdam, the port city that is the Netherlands' most ethnically diverse area, with a large Muslim population. A victory for Wilders would boost French ally Marine Le Pen and the right-wing Alternative for Germany, both anti-EU right-wing parties that hope to transform European politics in national elections this year.

Source: Egypt Independent February 18, 2017 10:01 UTC