Far-right Dutch leader's trial to continue, but his influence grows

(CNN) -- Far-right Dutch politician Geert Wilders failed Tuesday to get the judges replaced in his trial for inciting hatred against Muslims, but moved a step closer to getting a burqa ban onto the books in the Netherlands.

A panel of judges threw out his complaint that the judges presiding over his trial were biased against him, putting the trial on track to continue Wednesday.

But even as that ruling came down, Wilders was negotiating with the leaders of two other political parties to support their minority government. Discussions among the three party leaders wrapped up Tuesday.

The three parties concluded that a stable government could be formed, and Mark Rutte of the Liberal Party will begin working to put together a government under his leadership, they said.

The three parties published an agreement last week that shows the influence of Wilders' Party for Freedom -- such as plans for a burqa ban and limits on immigration -- but neither he nor any members of his party will run government ministries.

Wilders' party surged in parliamentary elections this June, becoming the third-largest party in the chamber and more than doubling the number of seats it holds.

Its 24 seats were much more than analysts had predicted.

Wilders is on trial for inciting discrimination and hatred over a controversial film he made about Islam.

On Monday, the opening day of the trial, his lawyers accused the four trial judges of bias, prompting the court to adjourn while other judges reviewed the complaint.

Wilders' film "Fitna," which he released online in March 2008 to international outcry, features disturbing images of terrorist acts superimposed over verses from the Quran in an apparent attempt to paint Islam as a threat to Western society.

Comments Wilders made in a variety of media between 2006 and 2008 form part of the case against him.

They include an October 2006 interview with the Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant in which he said he wanted to stop the "tsunami of Islamization," and another in September 2007 with Radio Netherlands in which he said the Quran should be banned.

Wilders says he has done nothing wrong, vowing "I will fight" in a statement on the party's website when he faced a pre-trial hearing in January.

Prosecutors had initially decided not to pursue the incitement case against Wilders, saying in June 2008 that his statements were not liable to punishment, according to the Public Prosecutions Service.

It said that, though Wilders' comments were "defamatory and hurtful to a great number of Muslims," they fell within the limits of free speech.

The Court of Appeals overruled that decision and ordered that Wilders be prosecuted.

In addition to inciting discrimination and hatred, Wilders is charged with offending a group of people, which relates to his comparison of Islam to Nazism.

"According to Wilders, the truth about Islam must be made known, even if it is painful and unpleasant for certain people," his statement on his party's site said.

Wilders' film "Fitna" drew complaints from the European Union and the Organization of the Islamic Conference, as well as concern from the United States.

If found guilty, Wilders would face up to two years in prison and a fine of up to 19,000 euros ($26,000) for each charge.

Journalist Jaap Jansen in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, contributed to this report.