More than half of Dutch voters approve of the government’s plans to tighten rules for asylum seekers, even though most doubt whether they can be met in practice.

A survey by RTL’s voter panel showed that most people support measures such as restricting residence permits to three years, faster deportation of refugees who are convicted of criminal offenses and declaring parts of Syria “safe zones”.

Support was strongest among voters who supported Geert Wilders’ far-right PVV and the BBB farmers’ party in the election, while those who supported the liberal VVD and the constitutional reformist NSC had the greatest doubts about that the plans could be implemented.

“BBB and PVV voters do not want to see these difficulties or, from their perspective, look beyond them. They think: we’re just going to change the system.” said RTL survey specialist Gijs Rademaker.

The poll of 15,000 voters found that deporting criminal refugees was the most popular measure, with 89% backing it, but only 52% thought it was viable.

Almost two-thirds supported the idea of ​​sending back Syrian asylum seekers, but only 36% thought it could be achieved in practice. Prime Minister Dick Schoof said Syrians would only be returned to areas deemed “safe” by government officials.

Border checks

And 69% were in favor of temporarily reinstating border controls, while 62% thought it was a feasible option.

The poll of 15,000 people also found that PVV voters’ trust in Geert Wilders had fallen as he agreed to drop his plans to use emergency powers to take action to deal with the so-called asylum crisis .

Support among the PVV’s voter base remained robust at 90%, compared to 95% in early September. One panelist commented: “I’ve always thought highly of Geert Wilders, but I think giving everything away is a poor move.”

Another said: “He promises everything but delivers nothing – I regret voting for him.”