Geert Wilders
| Geert Wilders | |
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| Leader of the Party for Freedom | |
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Assumed office 22 February 2006 |
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| Preceded by | Position established |
| Leader of the Party for Freedom in the House of Representatives | |
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Assumed office 23 November 2006 |
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| Preceded by | Position established |
| Member of the House of Representatives | |
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Assumed office 26 July 2002 |
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In office 25 August 1998 – 23 May 2002 |
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| Leader of the Wilders Group in the House of Representatives | |
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In office 2 September 2004 – 23 November 2006 |
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| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| Member of the Municipal Council of The Hague |
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In office 11 March 2010 – 1 July 2010 |
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| Member of the Municipal Council of Utrecht | |
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In office 1 October 1997 – April 1998 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
6 September 1963 Venlo, Netherlands |
| Political party |
People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (1989–2004) Independent (2004–2006) Party for Freedom (2006–present) |
| Spouse(s) | Krisztina Marfai (1992–present) |
| Alma mater | Open University |
Geert Wilders (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈɣeːrt ˈʋɪldərs]; born 6 September 1963) is a Dutch politician who is the founder and leader of the Party for Freedom (Partij voor de Vrijheid – PVV). Wilders is the parliamentary group leader of his party in the House of Representatives (Tweede Kamer). In the 2010 formation of the Rutte cabinet, a minority cabinet of VVD and CDA, he actively participated in the negotiations, resulting in a "support agreement" (gedoogakkoord) between the PVV and these parties, but withdrew his support in April 2012, citing disagreements with the cabinet on proposed budget cuts. Wilders is best known for his criticism of Islam; his views have made him a controversial figure in the Netherlands and abroad, and since 2004 he has been protected at all times by armed bodyguards.
Raised a Roman Catholic, Wilders left the church at his coming of age. His travels to Israel and neighbouring Arab countries as a young adult helped form his political views. Wilders worked as a speechwriter for the conservative-liberal People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (Volkspartij voor Vrijheid en Democratie – VVD), and later served as parliamentary assistant to party leader Frits Bolkestein from 1990 to 1998. He was elected to the Utrecht city council in 1996, and later to the House of Representatives. Citing irreconcilable differences over the party's position on the accession of Turkey to the European Union, he left the VVD in 2004 to form his own party, the Party for Freedom.
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