Dutch elections: Wilders' Freedom Party leads in exit polls

Voting in the early general election in the Netherlands ended at 21:00 local time, and vote counting has begun. According to initial information reported by the BBC citing the Reuters news agency, the far-right Party for Freedom (PVV), led by Geert Wilders, is in first place.

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Dutch elections: Wilders' Freedom Party leads in exit polls

The Party for Freedom (PVV) is on track for a major victory, increasing its seat count from 17 to 35. The Labour Party (PvdA) - GreenLeft (GL) alliance, which entered the election under the leadership of Frans Timmermans, is in 2nd place with 26 seats.

The People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), led by Dilan Yeşilgöz, appears to be in 3rd place with 23 seats, losing 11 parliamentary seats compared to the 2021 elections.

The center-right New Social Contract (NSC) party, led by Pieter Omtzigt, is also projected to win 20 seats.

It is predicted that 46 seats will be shared among smaller parties. Among these is the DENK party, which receives votes from voters of Turkish and Moroccan origin, with two seats.

The announcement of the exit polls created first surprise and then joy at Wilders' election headquarters.

Speaking to Dutch media, PVV supporters said they could not believe the result.

PVV leader Geert Wilders announced the result on the social media platform X with the message "35!".

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban was the first leader to congratulate Wilders, saying, "The winds of change are here!"

4 PARTIES MUST COME TOGETHER TO FORM A GOVERNMENT

According to exit polls, at least 4 parties need to come together for a coalition government, but statements made by political parties to date indicate that this will be difficult.

Political groups other than small far-right parties are not warm to the idea of a government partnership with Wilders.

At the beginning of the election campaign, Dilan Yeşilgöz, who had given the green light to a coalition with Wilders, announced two days before the election that she would not join a government led by the far-right leader.

The social democrats and the NSC, led by Pieter Omtzigt, had also stated that they would not be government partners with Wilders.

YEŞİLGÖZ LOSES CHANCE AT PRIME MINISTRY

According to the initial results, the possibility of Dilan Yeşilgöz becoming the first female prime minister in Dutch history is disappearing.

It appears that one of the biggest losers of the election will be the VVD, led by Dilan Yeşilgöz. The liberal-right VVD, which has been the largest party in the Netherlands for years, is losing 11 of the 34 seats it won in 2021.

The social-liberal Democrats 66 (D66) is also losing 14 of its 24 parliamentary seats.

The center-right Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) is also seeing its seat count drop from 15 to 5.

The far-right Forum for Democracy (FvD) is falling from 8 seats to 3, and the Socialist Party is dropping from 9 seats to 5.

The Denk party, supported by voters of Turkish and Moroccan origin, is also losing one of its 3 parliamentary seats.

News Source: 12punto