CONTROVERSIAL politician Geert Wilders, dubbed "Captain Peroxide", has bagged a surprising and dramatic win in the Dutch general election.
The far-right leader, once dubbed "Europe's Most Dangerous Man", has sparked fierce debate over his anti-EU, anti-Islam beliefs – even for a time being banned from the UK.
Now Wilders, who founded the right-wing Party for Freedom (PVV) in 2006, is set to bag a huge majority in the next Dutch government after a landslide win of 37 seats.
And if he can form a coalition, he will be the Netherlands' next Prime Minister.
It was a win which has sent shockwaves throughout Europe – with the 60-year-old vowing he is "ready to govern".
"The PVV can no longer be ignored," he said.
The so-called Dutch Donald Trump has made his platform largely on a divisive anti-Islam platform- including comparisons of the Koran to Hitler's hate-filled Mein Kampf.
Known as "Captain Peroxide" and "Mozart" because of his striking bleached hair – he was once described by Radio Netherlands as "the most famous bleach-blond since Marilyn Monroe".
And a 2010 profile of him by the BBC and a subsequent 2017 documentary dubbed him "Europe's Most Dangerous Man".
He has been a figure in Dutch politics for nearly 30 years and is now within touching distance of power.
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Wilders lives under armed guards and has faced constant death threats – including a call to behead him and being named on a "hit list" by al-Qaeda.
He was described as a "political pyromaniac" by current Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte.
Wilders party PVV has previously campaigned to ban the Koran from the Netherlands entirely, as well as mosques and Islamic headscarves in certain spaces.
He has even been arrested several times for incitement.
Britain banned him from entering the country and labelled him as an "undesirable" back in 2009 – being detained when he landed at Heathrow.
The ban was later overturned after an appeal, which he celebrated as a victory for "free speech".
Wilders has also previously praised tyrannical leader Vladimir Putin – but has since distanced himself from Russia after the invasion of Ukraine.
Despite allegations of extremism and hate speech, the Dutch politician describes himself as a right-wing liberal whose greatest role model is former British PM Margaret Thatcher.
He is adamantly anti-EU and a staunch advocate for "Nexit" – the Netherlands (Holland) leaving the EU, as well as stricter immigration laws.
And following his win in the general election count on Tuesday – the leader has adopted a more moderate approach in hopes of forming a coalition.
But due to his fire-spitting campaigning and hard rhetoric, the politician has been protected constantly by armed police for almost 20 years.
Life under guard
After repeated threats to his life, including by a Dutch Islamic terror group accused of planning to kill Wilders with grenades – he has lived under constant surveillance.
Round-the-clock armed police monitor him, he lives in a government safe house and is driven between his home and parliament in a bulletproof vest.
He sees his wife, former Hungarian diplomat Krisztina Wilders, once or twice a week and all other visitors are heavily vetted.
There was reportedly a period when the pair would sleep in different places every night.
And the right-wing politician even had to disguise himself in a “brown wig, a hat and an ill-fitting fake moustache," according to The Washington Post.
The threats to his life are no joke in a country that has seen its liberal dream shattered by violence and racial tensions.
In 2002, prominent politician Pim Fortuyn was assassinated by an animal rights fanatic.
Two years later, filmmaker Theo Van Gogh was shot and stabbed by a Dutch-born Muslim following threats by Islamic extremists.
The shocking murders led to a surge in support for anti-immigration parties and helped Wilders rise to the top.
But divisions remain and just days ago the leader of another right wing party, Thierry Baudet, was whacked on the head with a bottle.
Rebel's rise to power
Raised as a Roman Catholic, Wilders joined the army and then moved to Israel for two years.
He is apparently a fan of travelling – and some have suggested his views on Islam have become harsher over the years since threats against him have limited his freedom.
He apparently did not excel at school and has previously referred to himself as a "rebel" in his younger years.
Wilder's brother Paul once described him as "a horrible pest, egocentric and aggressive" in an interview with German outlet Der Spiegel.
Wilders founded the right-wing populist PPV in 2006 – targeting Islam more brutally as the years went on and lobbying for Nexit and severe immigration laws along the way.
He has previously promised to ban Muslim immigration and close all the mosques in the Netherlands as part of his campaigns, which have been deemed Islamophobic and xenophobic.
"There is a lot of Moroccan scum in Holland who make the streets unsafe, mostly young people… and that should change," Wilders once said.
"If you want to regain your country, if you want to make The Netherlands for the people of The Netherlands, your own home again, then you can only vote for one party."
Wilders — whose campaign mottos include “Make the Netherlands great again” — has won popularity by tempering his anti-Islam outbursts with traditional Dutch liberalism.
In 2017 the party failed to come out on top in the Dutch general election – at which point Wilders swore they would win the next one.
After the results came in he tweeted: "We were the 3rd largest party of the Netherlands. Now we are the 2nd largest party. Next time we will be number 1!".
Mark Rutte, former leader of the liberal VVD party, said at the time: "The Netherlands, after Brexit and Trump, said 'Whoa!' to the wrong kind of populism'."
Following the general election results yesterday – Wilders may now have to persuade other Dutch parties to join him in a coalition.
He is predicted to win 35 out of 150 seats in the Dutch parliament – and said in the wake of his win on Tuesday: "The PVV can no longer be ignored… we will govern".
Political historian Koen Vossen previously told The Sun that Wilders had picked up the baton from anti-Islam leader Fortuyn.
Vossen said: “Fortuyn said the Dutch are a very progressive, liberal country dealing with the conservative religion of Islam.
“He pointed out that immigrants are sometimes very hostile to homosexuals, Jews and women’s rights.
“Wilders, who is progressive on gay and women’s rights, has taken this message and radicalised it further.”
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