Thursday evening’s election debate on commercial broadcaster SBS was the most-watched discussion to date, with over two million people tuning in, and marking Geert Wilder’s first public appearance since he resumed campaigning. 

But will it be a turning point in the campaign? Wilders took a bashing, Dutch media agree, but warn of the “martyr effect”.

Wilders’ first appearance at a debate after crying off earlier due to safety concerns, merged seamlessly with his abandonment of the last cabinet, prompting moderator Wilfred Genee’s to ask “will you be with us the whole evening or will you be leaving early”, the NRC pointed out in its analysis of the show.

Unlike the debates preceding the last elections, Wilders did not have the upper hand, the paper said, having to defend himself as Frans Timmermans (GL-PvdA), Dilan Yesilgöz (VVD) and Henri Bontenbal (CDA) ganged up on him over the inability of the PVV to deliver on any of his election promises.

Cornering him on his promise to abolish the own risk element in healthcare, which did not happen, Wilders “became increasingly uneasy”, the paper writes. He even raised a derisive laugh from the public when he said former asylum minister Marjolein Faber had not been “disqualified” as a future minister, while former coalition partner Yesilgöz called him “one man with a Twitter account and that’s it”.

The Telegraaf said it is clear the other parties are not going to form a cabinet with the PVV. Bontenbal called him “the megaphone of discord”, without having anything to show for his time in the last cabinet, and said that as far as he was concerned, the “page of Wilders will be turned”.

Wilders, who is ahead in the polls, countered with “I represent the will of the people”. The people will make sure I win again, he warned “because they are sick of this three-against-one kicking of the PVV”.

The Volkskrant noted that the concerted attack on Wilders does not mean he lost the debate and warns of a “martyr effect”.  “Such attacks by the established political order will gain sympathy among some voters,” and his decision to blow up the cabinet could count on the approval of many of his voters, the paper wrote.

But Wilders comments also sounded “hackneyed and tired”, the paper said. The debate, on migration, housing and healthcare, did not score high on content, the paper said, with “Genee’s jokiness and frequent interuptions for ads”.

The paper said Saturday’s scheduled opinion poll will prove if this debate will prove to be a turning point.