PVV opposes appointment of ‘anti-Wilders’ judge

The anti-Islam party PVV is attempting to block the appointment of a Dutch law professor to the High Court because it would be too political, the Telegraaf reports on Wednesday.


The party hopes to force a formal named vote on the appointment of Ybo Buruma in parliament next week.
MP Louis Bontes said the nomination is an ‘enormous scandal’ and accused Buruma of likening PVV leader Geert Wilders to Italian fascist dictator Benito Mussolini.
Prosecution
‘Buruma shouts and is rewarded. Wilders says something and faces legal action,’ Bontes said, referring to the MP’s prosecution for inciting hatred.
Buruma, a professor at Radboud University in Nijmegen, said it is the PVV’s good right to discuss the issue. ‘The PVV is critical of all aspects of society it considers to be the elite, and that includes senior judges,’ he said.
MPs will vote on the appointment next week but the PVV hopes it will be done on a name by name basis, meaning the party will be able to identify which MPs vote for or against Buruma.
The PVV has also called for a fixed five-year term for judges and says they should be reappointed on the basis of their record on sentencing.

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