A farmers’ protest party angered by new green laws triumphed in shock Dutch election results, prompting its leader to ask: “People, what the f— happened?” The Telegraph has more.
Caroline van der Plas’s Farmers-Citizen Movement (BBB) is projected to become the equal largest party in the senate, taking 15 seats from none before the vote.
The Left-wing GroenLinks/PvdA is also expected to win 15 seats, in the wake of months of turbulent farmer protests against Government plans to cut nitrogen emissions.
Mark Rutte, the centre-Right Dutch prime minister, insisted his coalition Government would survive, after its four member parties lost eight of their combined 32 seats in the 75-seat senate
“This is not the result we wanted,” he said, after projections showed his VVD party was on course to win 10 seats.
Mr. Rutte’s Government plans to meet EU climate targets by reducing livestock and through compulsory farm buyouts to reduce nitrogen emitted by manure and fertilisers.
The protests have drawn global attention, and garnered the support of the former U.S. president Donald Trump, as well as conspiracy theorists who claim the farmers are victims of a ‘globalist’ plot to steal their land.
The BBB’s victory means the farmers can form alliances with other parties in the senate and block green legislation, in a country that is the world’s second-largest agricultural exporter after the U.S.
Governments of the West take note – this is the consequence of pursuing ruinous green and Net Zero policies at the ballot box.
Worth reading in full.
Profanity and abuse will be removed and may lead to a permanent ban.