Party for Freedom
Updated: 5/24/2026, 7:03:28 PM Wikipedia source
The Party for Freedom (Dutch: Partij voor de Vrijheid [pɑrˈtɛi voːr də ˈvrɛiɦɛit]; PVV) is a right-wing populist and far-right political party in the Netherlands. Geert Wilders is the founder, party leader, and sole registered member of the party. PVV's main issues are migration and critique of Islam. The PVV has proposed banning the Quran and shutting down all mosques in the Netherlands. The party is Eurosceptic and favoured withdrawal from the EU until 2024. Founded in 2006 as the successor to Wilders' one-man group in the House of Representatives, it obtained nine seats in the 2006 general election. In the 2010 general election, it obtained 24 seats, making it the third-largest party. At that time, the PVV agreed to provide confidence and supply to the minority first Rutte cabinet. PVV withdrew its support in April 2012 due to differences over budget cuts. In the following 2012 general election, it lost 9 seats. Following the election, the party returned to the opposition until 2023. In the 2023 general election, it obtained 37 seats and became the largest party in the House of Representatives. After the election, it entered government for the first time as part of the Schoof cabinet. In 2025, the party withdrew from the cabinet and lost 11 seats in the subsequent election.
Infobox
Tables
| Election | Lead candidate | List | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | Government |
| 2006 | Geert Wilders | List | 579,490 | 5 | 9 / 150 | New | Opposition |
| 2010 | List | 1,454,493 | 15 | 24 / 150 | 15 | Confidence and supply First Rutte cabinet | |
| 2012 | List | 950,263 | 10 | 15 / 150 | 9 | Opposition | |
| 2017 | List | 1,372,941 | 13 | 20 / 150 | 5 | Opposition | |
| 2021 | List | 1,125,022 | 10 | 17 / 150 | 3 | Opposition | |
| 2023 | List | 2,450,878 | 23 | 37 / 150 | 20 | Coalition (2024–2025) Schoof cabinet | |
| 2025 | List | 1,760,966 | 16 | 26 / 150 | 11 | Opposition |
| Election | Lead candidate | List | Votes | % | Seats | +/– |
| 2011 | Machiel de Graaf | List | 72 | 12 | 10 / 75 | New |
| 2015 | Marjolein Faber | List | 66 | 11 | 9 / 75 | 1 |
| 2019 | List | 38 | 6 | 5 / 75 | 4 | |
| 2023 | List | 34 | 5 | 4 / 75 | 1 |
| Election | List | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | EP Group | |
| 2009 | Pre-Lisbon Treaty | List | 772,746 | 16 | 4 / 25 | New | NI |
| Post-Lisbon Treaty | 5 / 26 | 1 | |||||
| 2014 | List | 633,114 | 13 | 4 / 26 | 1 | ENF | |
| 2019 | Pre-Brexit | List | 194,178 | 3 | 0 / 26 | 4 | ID |
| Post-Brexit | 1 / 29 | 1 | |||||
| 2024 | List | 1,057,662 | 16 | 6 / 31 | 5 | PfE | |
References
- The party was formerly part of Europe of Nations and Freedom (2015–2019) and Identity and Democracy (2020–2022).
- Parlementhttps://www.parlement.com/id/vhnnmt7m4rqi/partij_voor_de_vrijheid_pvv
- University of Groningenhttps://www.rug.nl/research/dnpp/themas/ledentallen/ledental-2025
- "The New Face of the Dutch Far-Right"https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/03/28/the-new-face-of-the-dutch-far-right-fvd-thierry-baudet-netherlands-pvv-geert-wilders/
- Populism in Western Europe: Comparing Belgium, Germany and The Netherlandshttps://books.google.com/books?id=dmUtBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA117
- Right-Wing Populism in Europe: Politics and Discoursehttps://books.google.com/books?id=EUhMAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA191
- Voerman & Vossen 2019, p. 7.
- Vossen 2013, pp. 70.
- Comparative European Politics: An Introduction
- Twenty-first century populism: The spectre of Western European democracyhttps://books.google.com/books?id=tCGIAAAAMAAJ
- NRChttps://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2024/04/05/pvv-beoogt-geen-nexit-meer-a4195220
- Vossen 2013, pp. 34–35.
- Vossen 2013, pp. 41–46.
- Vossen 2013, pp. 52–56.
- Vossen 2013, pp. 58–61.
- Vossen 2013, pp. 54–55.
- Documentatiecentrum Nederlandse Politieke Partijenhttps://www.rug.nl/research/dnpp/politieke-partijen/pvv/geschiedenis/
- Vossen 2013, pp. 62–63.
- Jaarboek Parlementaire Geschiedenishttps://hdl.handle.net/2066%2F67965
- Tijdschrift voor Communicatiewetenschaphttps://www.aup-online.com/docserver/fulltext/13846930/37/3/CW_2009_037_003_238.pdf