Courtesy of Mish.
In the wake of the Dutch election yesterday, let’s review coalition math and possibilities.
The above chart from Dutch Voters Crush Hopes of Populist Wilders.
For starters, that headline is a bit over the top. Support for Rutte picked up when he adopted a much stricter stance towards immigration.
The election represented a huge shift to the Right. In Rutte Victorious in Netherlands Election: Wrong Kind of Populism? Who Really Won? I noted that Geert Wilders got nearly everything he wanted.
Today it is confirmed Wilders is the largest opposition party, the best he could have hoped for. Rutte picked up votes from Wilders when he adopted a much tougher stance towards immigration.
Clear Signal
German chancellor Angela Merkel called the result “a good day for democracy” and added that she “was very happy that a high turnout led to a very pro-European result, a clear signal”.
Indeed, there was a clear signal. Voters are fed up with immigration. The Left got trounced.
