Dutch GreenLeft party led by Jesse Klaver greatly increased the number of its seats in the parliament from four to 14 and became the largest left-wing party in the Dutch parliament for the first time. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s ruling center-right People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) won election with 33 out of 150 parliamentary seats. Its main competitor, Geert Wilders' far-right Party for Freedom (PVV), took the second place and increased its presence in the parliament from 15 seats to 20.
"[GreenLeft success in the Dutch election] is an example of the new political division. There will no longer be a classical division between a left and right. There will be a division between supporters of an open society and supporters of a closed society. Winners and losers of globalism… This new political division will only become more apparent in the coming years," Claes said.
Two striking examples of the strong backlash against open markets and borders in 2016 were the Brexit referendum in June in the United Kingdom and the victory of Donald Trump in the US presidential election in November. Results in both cases reflect voters deep dissatisfaction with the consequences of globalization in mainstream political parties.
Parliamentary elections will be held in numerous European countries in 2017 including France, Germany, Norway and the Czech Republic. Additionally, the future president of France and the chancellor of Germany are to be elected this year.
