Election Night: The Netherlands

On March 15th the Student Society will follow the general election in the Netherlands. Europe is suffering from an unstable political climate, and the centrum political parties are being heavily criticised from both the far left and right. This year there will be held general elections in several powerful European countries that can contribute to a radical change on the continent. The general election in the Netherlands is first out, which many says can set a precedent for the rest of the elections later this year. Is the right wing populism going to take hold of Europe, or will the more centre oriented parties keep their positions. No matter the outcome, the political environment in Europe will not be the same.

Most of the attention so far is given to Geert Wilders, this notorious anti-muslim and anti-EU politician. He and his Party for Freedom is gaining popularity. The question is still, as no other parties want to collaborate with him, will they gain any power? The strongest contestant is the sitting prime minister Mark Rutte from the liberal-conservative party, but his coalition partner Lodewijk Asscher from the Labour Party is doing poorly on the polls. Of other big players are the Socialist Party, the conservative Christian Democrats and the liberal Democrats 66, that all are aiming for more seats in the parliament.

Professor Pieter de Wilde, from the Department of HIstorical Studies at NTNU, will hold a presentation on the Dutch election as well as how it will influence the rest of Europe. He will also be able to answer questions you may have regarding the election and the Dutch political context.
After the presentation we will follow the results as they come in, and we open up for a lively discussion.

The event will all be in English, and we hope to see a broad specter of international students.