Gain Wilders boosts EU interest in Turkey

ISTANBUL – The win of the Partij van de Vrijheid (Party for Freedom) seems to have somewhat boosted interest in the European elections in Turkey. That ‘Fitna goes to parliament’, as the headlines announce, causes some excitement.

Wilders’ slogan that Turkey can not become an EU-member ‘in a million years’, is quoted, and the PVV leader is characterised as ‘racist’ and ‘extreme-right’. In portraits of Wilders papers write about his belief that the Koran is a fascist book that should be forbidden. That the Christian-Democrats only just came in ahead of the PVV is a foretaste of how far-right parties will fare in other European member states, writes daily Vatan in its Saturday edition.

So far the European elections haven’t attracted much attention in Turkey. That doesn’t mean the Turks have totally turned away from Europe: according to a survey last week, 57% of Turks still favour their country’s accession to the EU.