The mainstream has good reason to worry. Mr Wilders’s vote would translate into 24 seats in the national parliament, making him hard to avoid as a coalition partner. He is calling for an early election. But his success may stabilise the government in the short run, since other parties do not want to face voters yet. Many hope that Mr Wilders, like earlier populists, will trip up before the election, due by May 2011. But Mr Wilders has proved more astute than his predecessors. And the people to whom his ideas appeal are in the Netherlands to stay—and vote.
© The Economist Newspaper Limited 2009
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