Dutch far-right firebrand Geert Wilders has suffered an unprecedented setback after seven of his parliamentarians rebelled against his one-man party rule. 

The group of seven, which includes a former campaign manager and a close Wilders ally, will no longer represent the Party for Freedom (PVV) in Dutch parliament and will form their own bloc instead.

“It’s a black day for the PVV,” Wilders responded on X, vowing to continue. 

The mass defection leaves the PVV with 19 seats in parliament, meaning it is no longer the largest opposition party.

According to Dutch media reports, tensions came to a head earlier on Tuesday after the seven PVV parliamentarians penned a letter criticizing Wilders and demanding an immediate vote.

The letter, first reported by Dutch tabloid De Telegraaf, called for scrutiny of the party’s election result in October 2025 and greater internal party democracy, including opening the PVV up to additional members.

The PVV is an anomaly in Dutch and European politics in having only one official member: Wilders himself, who is known to run a tight ship. 

“The PVV is more than one man with a Twitter account,” the protest letter reads. “The continuity of the parliamentary party and the needs of the voters should not depend on the decisions of a single PVV member.”

Others have left over the party’s lack of democracy before, but never seven at once.  

“We tried starting a discussion, but that proved impossible,” one of the seven, Gidi Markuszower, told journalists. Markuszower was not immediately available for comment.

In a reaction to POLITICO, PVV MEP Sebastian Kruis described the departure of the seven parliamentarians as a “pity” but downplayed its significance.

“It’s always a matter of ups and downs, the best days for the PVV are still ahead.”