Dutch election Live(ish) Thread: PM Rutte's party leads exit polls

[EC]

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte's party has won the most seats in parliamentary elections, first exit polls say.

His centre-right VVD Party won 31 out of 150 seats, polls suggest.

His party came far ahead of the next three parties, including Geert Wilders' anti-immigration Freedom Party (PVV), the Christian Democrats and the D66 Party, which each got 19 seats.

Mr Wilders' party had been leading in opinion polls but support for the party appeared to slip in recent days.

Voter participation in the general election was high - and experts say the final turnout may reach 80%.

Analysts say a high turnout may have benefited pro-EU and liberal parties.

Many had been watching the vote in the Netherlands closely, as an indication for how populist parties may fare in other elections in EU countries.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-39285803

Going to make this the semi-live thread for the Dutch Election. Any news goes in here please.

[EC]

Dutch election: Voters go to the polls in key test for populists

Voters are going to the polls in the Netherlands in the first of three crucial eurozone elections this year.

The race is dominated by Prime Minister Mark Rutte's centre-right VVD party and that of Geert Wilders, running on an anti-immigration platform.

Mr Rutte has said the election is an opportunity for voters to "beat the wrong sort of populism".

Mr Wilders has pledged to take the Netherlands out of the EU, close all mosques and ban the Koran.

His Freedom Party (PVV) had been leading in opinion polls but they have since suggested his support may be slipping.

Experts say turnout has been high - and could reach 80% - while some polling stations printed extra ballot papers to avoid running out.

Analysts say a high turnout, especially in the cities, could benefit pro-EU parties.

France goes to the polls next month to elect a new president while Germany is due to hold a general election in September.

Wednesday's election also comes amid a diplomatic spat between the Netherlands and Turkey.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-39275194

[EC]

Voting ends in the Netherlands with exit polls suggesting win for PM

The Netherlands' main exit poll suggests that Prime Minister Mark Rutte has won Dutch parliamentery elections, beating out anti-immigration far-right challenger Geert Wilders in a vote seen as a test of populism's rise in Europe.

For two-time Prime Minister Rutte, the election indicated that an economic recovery and his hard-line handling of a diplomatic dispute with Turkey over the past week has won him increased public support.

The Ipsos polling company gave Rutte's party 31 of the 150 seats in the lower house of parliament compared to 19 seats for three other parties, including that of Wilders.

For Wilders the poll was a test of whether his nationalist, anti-Muslim rhetoric fired up a large portion of the population. He managed to increase his party's number of seats from 15 to 19 but the result was a disappointment for a candidate seeking to make his Freedom Party the largest in parliament.

Weeks or months of coalition talks are expected to follow.

http://www.france24.com/en/20170315-voting-ends-netherlands-exit-polls-pm-rutte-wilders

[truth_seeker]

Dutch voters selected further demographic and cultural degradation & suicide.

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

I actually heard that the PM took a hard line stance vs. erdogan and by doing so pulled votes from PVV, or at least lessened their appeal.


I am disappointed with the results though.

[TomSea]

Wilders performed poorly in the debate the other night per news articles.

Countries are electing a leader, so act like it. Some of the blame goes to him as well.

[EC]

Dutch election: PM Rutte celebrates 'rejection of populism'

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte says the Netherlands has rejected "the wrong kind of populism" as he celebrated victory in parliamentary elections.

With nearly all votes counted his governing centre-right VVD party easily beat the anti-immigration, anti-EU Freedom party of Geert Wilders.

The race was seen as a test of support for nationalist parties that have been gaining ground across Europe.

Mr Wilders insisted "the patriotic spring" would still happen.

With more than 90% of votes counted, the VVD had won 33 out of 150 seats, a loss of eight seats from the previous parliament.

Mr Wilders' Freedom Party (PVV) was in second place on 20 seats, a gain of five, with the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) and the liberal Democrats 66 (D66) close behind with 19 seats each.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-39287689

[EC]

Losing 1/5 of your seats is not exactly a rousing vote of confidence.