Dutch Far-Right Party Loses Leading Opposition Role After Split

Geert Wilders’ far-right Freedom Party lost its status as a leading opposition bloc in the Dutch lower house on Tuesday after seven lawmakers defected amid internal fighting.

“This is a black day for the Freedom Party,” Wilders told reporters in The Hague on Tuesday. Wilders said the departing lawmakers disagreed with his strategy of non-cooperation with the incoming government and wished for a “more constructive” approach.