Wilders' Dutch Party for Freedom and governing Christian Democrats tied

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - The far-right Party for Freedom (PvdV) is maintaining the high level of public support it earned earlier this year in the Netherlands, according to a poll by Maurice de Hond. A prospective tally of seats shows the PvdV would get 31 seats in the legislature in the next election, unchanged since early July.

The governing Christian-Democratic Appeal (CDA) is tied for first place with the PvdV with 31 seats, followed by the Democrats 66 (D66) with 20, the People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) with 17, the Labour Party (PvdA) with 16, the Green Left (GL) with 12, and the Socialist Party (SP) with 11 seats. Support is lower for the Christian Union (CU), the Party for the Animals (PvdD), the Reformed Political Party (SGP), and the Proud of the Netherlands movement (ToN).

Dutch voters renewed the Second Chamber in November 2006. The CDA—led by current minister president Jan Peter Balkenende—secured 41 out of 150 seats. In February 2007, a coalition encompassing the CDA, the PvdA of Wouter Bos, and the CU of Andre Rouvouet was assembled.

The PvdV has recently gained notoriety due to Geert Wilders, its controversial leader. Last year, Wilders released a movie titled Fitna depicting Islam as a violent religion, and comparing the Koran to Adolf Hitler’s "Mein Kampf". In January 2009, an Amsterdam court ordered prosecutors to call Wilders to trial for inciting hatred. Wilders has called the decision an "attack on public debate."

Last June, the PvdV won four of the 25 Dutch seats in the European Parliament.

Polling Data

What party would you vote for in the next parliamentary election?

	Jul. 26	Jul. 4	Jun. 6
Party for Freedom (PvdV)	31	31	31
Christian-Democratic Appeal (CDA)	31	30	29
Democrats 66 (D66)	20	19	18
People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD)	17	16	14
Labour Party (PvdA)	16	17	21
Green Left (GL)	12	13	12
Socialist Party (SP)	11	12	13
Christian Union (CU)	6	6	6
Party for the Animals (PvdD)	3	3	3
Reformed Political Party (SGP)	2	2	2
Proud of the Netherlands (ToN)	1	1	1

Source: Maurice de Hond
Methodology: Interviews with 1,000 Dutch adults, conducted on Jul. 26, 2009. No margin of error was provided.