Dutch people rejected “the wrong kind of populism”, Prime Minister Mark Rutte has said, as he celebrated victory in Wednesday’s election.
“The Netherlands said ‘Whoa!'” he declared after his centre-right VVD party’s lead positioned him for a third successive term as prime minister.
With nearly all votes counted, the VVD party easily beat the anti-immigration Freedom Party (PVV) of Geert Wilders.
Fellow eurozone countries France and Germany also face elections this year.
The Dutch 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.
The euro gained as the results pointed to a clear victory for the prime minister’s party.
How big is Rutte’s win?
With 95% of votes counted, the VVD had won 33 out of 150 seats, a loss of eight seats from the previous parliament.
The PVV was in second place on 20 seats, a gain of five, with the Christian Democrats (CDA) and the liberal D66 party close behind with 19 seats each.
The Green-Left party also did well, winning 14 seats, an increase of 10.
The Labour Party (PvdA), the junior party in the governing coalition, suffered a historic defeat by wining only nine seats, a loss of 29.
Turnout was more than 80%, the highest for 30 years, which analysts say may have benefited pro-EU and liberal parties.
“We want to stick to the course we have – safe and stable and prosperous,” Mr Rutte said.
What does this mean for the EU?
France goes to the polls next month to elect a new president, with the far right National Front forecast to increase its vote dramatically.
In Germany, the populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) may win seats in parliament for the first time in September’s general election.
Mr Rutte’s victory was warmly greeted by other European leaders and politicians:
- French President Francois Hollande said he had won a “clear victory against extremism”
- German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s chief of staff, Peter Altmaier, tweeted: “The Netherlands, oh the Netherlands you are a champion! Congratulations on this great result”
- Martin Schulz, president of the European Parliament until earlier this year, said he was relieved the Freedom Party had lost. “We must continue to fight for an open and free Europe!” he added on Twitter (in German)
Where does Wilders stand now?
In the run-up to the election, some opinion polls had forecast the PVV winning the biggest number of seats.
Mr Wilders had pledged to take the Netherlands out of the EU, close all mosques and ban the Koran.
He warned that Mr Rutte had “not seen the last” of him.
“It’s not the 30 seats I hoped for but we have gained seats,” he added. “This patriotic spring will happen.”
How long before a new government is formed?
As parliamentary seats are allocated in exact proportion to a party’s vote share, the VVD will need to go into coalition with other parties.
The VVD had ruled out a coalition with the PVV but not with the other two runners-up, the CDA and D66, which are both pro-EU.
Coalition talks could take weeks, or even months.
