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WORLD NEWS Monday 13 February 2017

Dutch populist Wilders warns of backlash if he is frozen out

means it would be ex- 12 of the 150 seats in the WNL broadcaster.
tremely difficult for Wilders lower house, but polls are Wilders has in the past
to form a government, forecasting him to substan- warned of a revolt if his par-
since the Dutch electoral tially build on that in the ty is sidelined despite strong
system all but guarantees election. Wilders himself electoral gains.
coalitions. says up to 2.5 million peo- “People won’t just accept
“If voters make the PVV re- ple could vote for him in if they are just set aside
ally big — I’m not talking this nation of 17 million and in their millions. And, of
about two or three extra that other political parties course, I don’t mean that
seats, but really big ... they would ignore his far-right tanks will go through the
will have to” work with his voters at their peril. streets,” he said.
party, Wilders said in the “You can detest Geert He added: “Revolt is al-
nationally broadcast inter- Wilders or the PVV, but you ways democratic and non-
view aired Sunday. can’t just set aside 2-2.5 violent, but it won’t just pass
Wilders’ party currently has million people,” he told the by, I tell you that. q

Dutch populist Geert Wilders delivers a speech at a meeting of
European Nationalists in Koblenz, Germany.
(AP Photo/ Michael Probst)
MIKE CORDER in the country’s upcoming
Associated Press election, or face a peace-
THE HAGUE, Netherlands ful backlash.
(AP) — Dutch populist Wilders’ Party for Freedom
Geert Wilders says main- is polling strongly ahead
stream politicians in the of the March 15 election
Netherlands will have to for the lower house of Par-
work with his Party for Free- liament. Mainstream par-
dom if voters strongly back ties, however, have ruled
his anti-immigration, anti- out working in a coalition
European Union platform government with him. That

AP: Spanish PM Mariano Rajoy is

re-elected as Popular Party leader

JOSEPH WILSON go Errejon, then called for
Associated Press party “unity and humility.”
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — “This is a party of the 21st
Spanish Prime Minister Mari- century that advances
ano Rajoy was re-elected alongside the people,
as the leader of the con- while other parties are
servative Popular Party for entrenched in the institu-
a fourth term, sweeping 95 tions,” Iglesias said in a fiery
percent of the vote at a speech.
party congress in Madrid. Podemos erupted onto the
“It’s an honor because I political scene three years
have spent all my life in ago, harnessing the wide-
this party,” the 61-year-old spread discontent caused
Rajoy said Saturday night by the hard economic
as he thanked party mem- times and major corruption
bers. He ran unopposed. cases involving Spain’s tra-
Hours later on Sunday, his ditional political parties. It
political rival Pablo Igle- became the third largest
sias likewise won a vote political force in the Span-
to maintain his leadership ish parliament last year.
of the left-wing Podemos Rajoy maintained most of
(“We Can”) party at its con- the Popular Party’s leader-
gress in the Spanish capi- ship, including Maria Dolo-
tal. The pony-tailed former res de Cospedal, Spain’s
political science professor minister of defense, as
fended off a challenge by the party’s second-in-
the party’s No. 2 leader, Ini- command.q