Wilders’ party behind in Netherlands exit polls

The result was a relief to mainstream parties across Europe, particularly in France and Germany, where right-wing nationalists hope to make a big impact in this year’s elections, potentially posing an existential threat to the EU.

While results will be announced overnight following the vote Wednesday, the identity of the next government is unlikely to be known for some time. Despite the “intervention” of Turkey in the Dutch elections, Wilder’s extreme anti-Muslim, anti-immigration and anti-EU message did not get the support of the Dutch people although he increased his number of seats from 15 to 20.

With as many as four out of 10 voters undecided a day before voting and a tight margin of just four per cent between leading candidates, the outcome was unpredictable.

The chance of Wilders becoming prime minister in the Netherlands, where a proportional representation voting system all but guarantees coalition governments, was remote, even if his party had placed first in the election.

Capital Economics’ Europe economist, Stephen Brown, was another who felt that there was “little reason” to think the PVV’s disappointment would translate to eurosceptic parties in France and Italy.

An exit poll in the Netherlands shows Jesse Klaver has led his Green Left party to a historic victory, turning it into the largest party on the left wing of Dutch politics for the first time.

Wilders retorted that he was standing up against “the liars and the legislators”, and urged Dutch voters to take the Netherlands back for themselves.

Demagogues might make good clickbait, but journalists and their readers can’t blame the profit motive for their own behaviour.

The election is seen as a test of far-right populism ahead of national elections in far bigger European nations, France and Germany, where populists also are polling strongly.

Wilders supporter Robert Housmans says, “The ideas that Mr”.

Rutte said: “There’s a difference between tweeting from the sofa and running a country”.

The Freedom Party candidate campaigned on an anti-EU, anti-Islam platform and said he was in favour of restoring Dutch values. The diplomatic spat between the Netherlands and Turkey over the last few days also doesn’t appear to have benefited him.

Separately, several large Twitter accounts including that of the European Parliament, Reuters Japan, Die Welt, Forbes, Amnesty International and Duke University were hijacked temporarily, apparently by Turkish activists.

Dutch voters head to the polls Wednesday to select a new prime minister in an election that could send shockwaves across Europe.

“And rebuild we have, but nobody could dream that the result would be so sweet”, he said upon learning his party gained six seats in parliament.

He said the coalition formation process is going to be smoother than expected and is likely to take weeks, not months. The People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy, or VVD, came in first with 33 seats, which means Prime Minister Mark Rutte is likely to secure a third term. “This election populist parties won [a combined] 22 seats so it is not a massive movement towards populism”, Jansen added. Two of those fell apart within 12 months.

The poll suggests the VVD won 31 out of Parliament’s 150 seats. “The Netherlands is for the Dutch”.