The Party for Freedom (Dutch: Partij voor de Vrijheid [pɑrˈtɛi voːr də ˈvrɛiɦɛit]; PVV) is a right-wing populist and far-right political party in the Netherlands. Geert Wilders is the founder, party leader, and sole registered member of the party. PVV's main issues are migration and critique of Islam. The PVV has proposed banning the Quran and shutting down all mosques in the Netherlands. The party is Eurosceptic and favoured withdrawal from the EU until 2024. Founded in 2006 as the successor to Wilders' one-man group in the House of Representatives, it obtained nine seats in the 2006 general election. In the 2010 general election, it obtained 24 seats, making it the third-largest party. At that time, the PVV agreed to provide confidence and supply to the minority first Rutte cabinet. PVV withdrew its support in April 2012 due to differences over budget cuts. In the following 2012 general election, it lost 9 seats. Following the election, the party returned to the opposition until 2023. In the 2023 general election, it obtained 37 seats and became the largest party in the House of Representatives. After the election, it entered government for the first time as part of the Schoof cabinet. In 2025, the party withdrew from the cabinet and lost 11 seats in the subsequent election.
History
Group Wilders (2004–2005) The party's origins trace back to Geert Wilders' departure from the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) in September 2004. The immediate cause was Wilders' opposition to the potential accession of Turkey to the European Union, though more broadly, he had become increasingly radicalized. Following his departure, he continued in parliament as a one-man group, Groep Wilders (Group Wilders). Wilders was joined by Bart Jan Spruyt of the Edmund Burke Foundation, with both aiming to establish a conservative party. Wilders published a manifesto titled Independence Declaration (Dutch: Onafhankelijkheidsverklaring), primarily authored by Spruyt. Initially, they had planned to release it jointly with Pim Fortuyn List politicians Joost Eerdmans and Marco Pastors, but Wilders ultimately withdrew from the collaboration. Spruyt left the party in August 2006, after determining that Wilders was less focused on forming a conservative party and more concentrated on issues related to Islam and immigration.
Growth (2006–2010)
Wilders' party had for a long time polled low in polls, despite some media attention. Wilders' leading role in the campaign against the European Constitution, which was rejected by Dutch voters by 62%, led to a rise. In the run-up to the 2006 general election, Wilders founded the Party for Freedom. The campaign focused on Islam, with Wilders warning of a "tsunami of Islamization". Despite low polling, the party won 9 seats. The seats were taken by the "old nine": Wilders, Fleur Agema, Raymond de Roon, Hero Brinkman, Martin Bosma, Dion Graus, Barry Madlener, Teun van Dijck and Sietse Fritsma.
On 28 November 2007, Wilders announced his film, Fitna, suggesting it would include scenes of burning the Quran. The Dutch government, the European Union, and other international organizations feared a repeat of the 2005 Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy, which led to a media hype. Government officials and politicians attempted to dissuade Wilders from releasing the film. Following multiple delays, Fitna was released in March 2008. Although the Dutch government distanced itself from the film and it received international reactions, it offered little new, and the anticipated escalation did not materialize. Fitna later became part of a hate speech trial against Geert Wilders, in which he was ultimately acquitted.
2010 Municipal elections The PVV participated in the March 2010 municipal elections only in The Hague and Almere due to a shortage of suitable candidates. MPs Sietse Fritsma and Raymond de Roon headed the candidate lists. The PVV emerged as the largest party in Almere, winning 22% of the votes, and the second largest in The Hague with 17%. Wilders was lijstduwer in The Hague and was elected through preference votes, subsequently joining the council. However, negotiations to join the municipal executive failed in both cities, partly due to the PVV's demand to ban headscarves for civil servants.
Coalition government (2010–2012)
In the 9 June 2010 general election, the PVV went from nine to 24 seats. During the subsequent cabinet formation, the PVV agreed to provide confidence and supply to a right-wing minority coalition of People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) and Christian Democratic Appeal, despite opposition in the latter party. Providing only confidence and supply, it had no representation within the cabinet. The PVV did not have to support everything in the coalition agreement of CDA and VVD, but only which was agreed upon in a separate gedoogakkoord, which included immigration policy, security, healthcare and financial policy. In 2012, the PVV party launched a website named Reporting Centre on Central and East Europeans to receive complaints about Central and East European immigrants in the Netherlands. 'Do you have problems with people from Central and Eastern Europe? Have you lost your job to a Pole, a Bulgarian, a Romanian or another East European? We want to know,' the website states. It displays newspaper headlines such as 'Wouldn't it be better if you went back home?' and 'East Europeans, increasingly criminal'. The European Commission has condemned the website, and EU Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding declared, "We call on all citizens of the Netherlands not to join in this intolerance. Citizens should instead clearly state on the PVV's website that Europe is a place of freedom." The website caused a lot of controversy within the European Union. On 20 March 2012, Hero Brinkman quit the party, citing a lack of democratic structure within the PVV among other things; qualifying this with a statement of continued support for the minority Rutte cabinet. Two days later, three members of the States of North Holland representing the PVV followed him. In July 2012, Marcial Hernandez and Wim Kortenoeven quit the PVV, both citing what they considered to be Wilders' autocratic leadership of the party.
Opposition (2012–2023)
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