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| Solar Island Almere |
Founded in 1976, this city 30 kilometers from Amsterdam offers a glimpse
into the future of the Netherlands. Leaving behind the tourist droves
of the capital, a 20-minute ride on an Intercity train — equipped with
WiFi — whisks you through windmills and farmland to reach Almere.
Lying 3.2 meters below sea level, the 7th largest city in the country
has a population of almost 200,000 people. One in three locals hails
from outside the European Union (EU). The local statistics office says
Almere is home to 153 nationalities and 181 ethnicities.
Despite its diversity, Almere voted for the xenophobic right-wing Party
for Freedom (PVV) for the last seven years. Headed by Geert Wilders, a
controversial figure, the party is leading in national polls ahead of
Wednesday’s election. PVV could even unseat the current government of
Prime Minister Mark Rutte. The Dutch election is the first in a long
line of crucial polls in Europe this year. It comes ahead of votes in
France,
Germany, and the Czech Republic.
In Almere, no house is further than 400 meters from a bus stop. Public
transportation and bicycles have dedicated lanes on roads. The town
square is an enormous open-air shopping mall with three-story buildings
that make it reminiscent of a college campus. An atmosphere of order and
tranquility prevails in residential neighborhoods — this is not a
neglected area where far-right parties often thrive.
A third of Almere’s residents are aged younger than 25 years and only 9%
of inhabitants are older than 65 years. Local economic trends match
national ones — 2% GDP growth and an unemployment rate of 5.3%, much
lower than the Eurozone average of 9.6%. After a day in the city, it’s
difficult to find someone who openly admits to supporting the PVV.
Faiza, 50, has lived in the Netherlands for 20 years. She’s waiting
for her number to be called in the city hall, a vast open space with
comfortable couches and floor lamps that makes it seem like a furniture
showroom. "They are ashamed to say so publicly but in private many
residents support Wilders’ views," she says. "I don’t know what’s
happening to Dutch society, it used to be that respecting rules and laws
was sufficient for integration. It’s not like that anymore, especially
for Muslims, and our religion is seen as a disease that must be kept at
bay."
In recent years, there have been a few cases of radicalized Islamists
in Almere but none managed to carry out terrorist attacks. This trend
may have contributed to
anti-Muslim sentiment
in the city. The first point of Wilders’ policy manifesto promises to
"de-Islamize" the Netherlands. This would involve shuttering mosques and
Islamic schools and banning the Islamic veil and sales of the Koran.
Few people in the country believe the Netherlands will split from the EU.
The upcoming election has also focused on the question of
immigration. Denk, which means "think" in Dutch, is a new pro-immigrant
party. Founded by Turkish immigrants, the party may gain representation
in parliament for the first time.
There are 28 parties contesting the election but only half of them
are likely to get enough votes to win seats. Even if Wilders gets the
most votes, it will be difficult for the PVV to form a coalition in a
country with an ultra-proportional electoral system. It will take at
least three months for any winner to put together a credible coalition.
"Wilders definitely won’t be in the coalition government that
emerges," says Meindert Fennema, a political scientist at the University
of Amsterdam. "No one wants to ally with the PVV and even he has no
intention of becoming Prime Minister."
The logic goes that it would be too politically risky for Wilders to govern; it suits him better to stay in the opposition.
This is exactly what has happened to the PVV in its stronghold of
Almere. Despite being the single largest party to win there, it has been
kept out of local government by a coalition of opposing parties.
Instead, the city government is controlled by the progressive liberal
D66 party. Franc Weerwind, the mayor, is the son of immigrants from
Suriname. In 2015, he also became the first person of color to become a
mayor in the Netherlands.
Read more: Can This City Predict The Fate Of The Dutch Elections? - Worldcrunch
