Wilders to fight ban on seat in both The Hague and Brussels

Anti-islam politician Geert Wilders is going to court to fight the ban on taking up a seat in the European parliament without giving up his place in the Dutch lower chamber.

It is currently impossible in law to have seats in both parliaments. The so-called ‘dual mandate’ became illegal in 2002, in line with EU election legislation.

However, Wilders is taking his case to the European Court of Justice and to the Court of First Instance, another European court. His lawyer Geert-Jan Knoops says there are ‘sufficient chances’ to get the ban on the dual mandate lifted.

Both jobs are currently considered to be full time positions.

Many commentators had expected Wilders may move to Brussels after the local elections. He is hoping to form an alliance with France’s Front National and other far-right parties but is currently two parties short.

Wilders’ PVV lost 25% of its vote in last month’s election and now has four, rather than five, MEPs.

Thank you for donating to DutchNews.nl.

We could not provide the Dutch News service, and keep it free of charge, without the generous support of our readers. Your donations allow us to report on issues you tell us matter, and provide you with a summary of the most important Dutch news each day.

Make a donation