Wilders’ one-man party owes its existence to a loophole in the electoral law. It’s voter deception but none of the other politicians has ever bothered to do anything about it, writes Marc Nelissen.

The events unfolding around the PVV (the euphemistically named Freedom Party) are steadily taking on the character of a satirical sketch from a television show: crying politicians in ill-fitting suits making a break for freedom by leaving a party named after it.

Their Michiel de Ruyter role model turned out to be a Kim Jong-un of the low countries whose ‘petulance, dictates and nonsense’ had become simply too much to bear. And so they stabbed him in the back in the interest of the country.

It was fun to watch, no doubt about it, and in spite of what has already been reported about the party, it still had the power to surprise. Wilders thought it beneath him to reveal whether or not his assailants’ fears of not figuring on the list of candidates were justified or not.

The question is academic anyway. It’s much more important to know who puts it together. The answer, of course, is Wilders. It’s he and he alone who determines who goes where on the list.

One-man concern

The PVV is not a party but a one-man operation. According to the dictionary a party is ‘a group or association which adheres to certain (mostly political) principles’. The PVV is neither a group nor an association. It’s nothing more than a trick, a clever piece of manipulation by a savvy notary.

According to Dutch electoral law, associations can take part in elections because an association has members and so represents a certain movement or group. Minimum number of members required: two. Eligible members: legal persons.

So what did Geert Wilders do? He created the Group Wilders Foundation, with as its sole administrator Geert Wilders. Then this foundation, together with the person Geert Wilders, established the Group Wilders Association. It has only one member: still Geert Wilders but now times two.

A trick, then, completely contrary to the spirit and the intention of the law. And a successful one at that, because this association that is not an association has grown into a political force to be reckoned with. It lacks any internal supervision of what its only member is up to, it denies anyone the right to participation, it is accountable to no one and party funding is opaque to say the least.

Blot

It’s ridiculous, outrageous and, as far as I know, unique in the world. Even dictators wouldn’t dare take part in their ‘elections’ with a one-man party. But it’s entirely possible here. Why? Because of the cowardice of all the other Dutch politicians, including left-wing figureheads Jan Marijnissen and Femke Halsema.

Quasi-principled politicians Alexander Pechtold, Mark Rutte and Emile Roemer have not lifted a finger to change the law to prevent this sort of trickery either. For seven years they have stood by and allowed blatant voter deception to take place, even doing deals with the PVV if it would help them.

The PVV is a blot on the political landscape. But it’s not Wilders who caused it. It’s the all of the above. 

Proper party

Let Wilders stand for election and take half an hour with himself to cobble together his manifesto, but let him present a list with the name of the only party member: Geert Wilders. And let him join forces with the Agema-list, the Graus-list and whatever the names of his other Politbureau cronies are.

Or let him start a proper party, with an executive, transparency and clear procedures, for instance for getting up a list of candidates.

As long as the ‘normal’ parties are refusing to do something about the voter deception that is the PVV they don’t deserve our vote either.

Marc Nelissen is a television producer and internet entrepreneur