PVV leader Geert Wilders has told reporters he considers it “unfair” that he will not be prime minister in the next coalition government.

On Wednesday night it emerged that the leaders of all four parties involved in the coalition talks will remain in the lower house of parliament, including Wilders who had been after the prime ministerial job.

Speaking before going into a final meeting with coalition negotiator Kim Putters, Wilders he needed the support of all the other three leaders to take the top job. “Imagine Rutte had won the election and they said ‘let someone else be prime minister’,” he told reporters. “This is not the way it should be in a democracy.”

The far-right party won 37 seats in the 150-seat lower house in the November 22 general election, or about 25% of the vote.

Wilders said that only BBB leader Caroline van der Plas supported him as prime minister outright. However, he said said he had agreed to remain in the lower house “no matter how much pain it causes” and how wrong it is democratically, to ensure that the Netherlands gets a right wing cabinet.

Putters is meeting Wilders, Van der Plas, NSC leader Pieter Omtzigt and VVD leader Dilan Yesilgöz on Thursday morning and will hand over his report on the negotiations to parliament later in the day.

On Tuesday Putters said that the four parties had agreed to work together on forming a new government. It is likely to be what is being called an “extra-parliamentary” cabinet, made up of ministers who are not necessarily party members.

The coalition agreement outlining policy is also likely to be broader and with less detail, giving ministers more leeway.

NOS commentator Xander van der Wulp said remaining in parliament could be beneficial for Wilders because he will be able to take a more critical line on the new cabinet’s plans, and keep better control of his inexperienced MPs.

Wilders has a criminal record for insulting Dutch Moroccan people en masse in 2014.