'Why does democracy lead, increasingly, to the election of extremist parties?'

Geert Wilders, leader of the Dutch Freedom Party (PVV), speaks at an election night party in The Hague, Netherlands

The recent victory in the Netherlands of the party of far-right leader Geert Wilders, who has called Islam "the biggest problem of the Netherlands," followed right-wing wins in Italy and Sweden

(Image credit: Peter Boer / Bloomberg via Getty Images)

By Harold Maass, The Week US

published 7 December 2023

'If it can happen in the Netherlands, it can happen anywhere'

The Washington Post editorial board

"It is time to stop being shocked" when far-right candidates win elections, says The Washington Post editorial board. The recent victory of the party of far-right leader Geert Wilders, who has called Islam "the biggest problem of the Netherlands," followed right-wing wins in Italy and Sweden. It's "lazy" to chalk up these politicians as local Trumps. The truth is "the 'center' — on charged topics such as immigration — has veered" right. Once-fringe parties are no longer extreme.

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Harold Maass is a contributing editor at The Week. He has been writing for The Week since the 2001 debut of the U.S. print edition and served as editor of TheWeek.com when it launched in 2008. Harold started his career as a newspaper reporter in South Florida and Haiti. He has previously worked for a variety of news outlets, including The Miami Herald, ABC News and Fox News, and for several years wrote a daily roundup of financial news for The Week and Yahoo Finance.