Far-right lawmaker Geert Wilders pulled off a surprise victory in a Dutch election on Nov. 22, after a late surge catapulted his anti-European Union party past its rivals. But the Netherlands’ fragmented political system means parties can’t rule without forging coalitions. Wilders’ prospects of leading the next government now hinge on his ability to strike alliances with mainstream politicians who remain deeply suspicious of his illiberal agenda.

Wilders, 60, has been a fixture in Dutch politics for decades. He started his career as a member of outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s liberal group, the People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy, or VVD. But he broke away to serve as an independent lawmaker before setting up the anti-migrant Freedom Party, known as the PVV in Dutch. He has faced death threats because of his anti-Islam views and has been under police protection since 2004. Wilders has been a member of parliament for 25 years but only once taken part in government, from 2010 to 2012, when he gave external support to Rutte’s minority coalition, as a non-Cabinet member. Rutte’s VVD and most other mainstream parties later ruled out working with him — until this year.