All to play for on eve of Dutch vote
Dutch politicians hit the airwaves and the campaign trail yesterday, battling to win over undecided voters in the final countdown to an election overshadowed by an acrimonious row with Turkey.
On the eve of today’s legislative polls, many of the 12.9 million eligible Dutch voters appear not to have made up their minds which of the record 28 parties in the running to choose.
A final debate between the eight top party leaders was slated for yesterday night, with analysts saying there was still a lot to play for in the race to govern The Netherlands.
Outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte and his Liberal VVD are topping the latest polls, and poised to win by a whisker with a predicted 24-28 seats in the 150seat parliament.
But he is fighting off a stiff challenge from the Freedom Party ( PVV) of his rival far-right antiIslam MP Geert Wilders, who may scoop up 20 to 24 seats.
In a one-page party manifesto, Wilders has pledged to close the borders to Muslim immigrants, shut mosques and ban sales of the Koran.
But he has revealed virtually no details of how he will put such plans into action.
Rutte and Wilders clashed Monday in their only televised head-to-head, laying out sharply different visions for the future.
The outgoing premier again hammered out that he would never work with his rival, a stand that could complicate moves to form a coalition government.
Bidding for a third term, Rutte pointed to his six years as premier overseeing growth, in one of the leading economies in the eurozone, and the need for stability for the country’s 17 million people.
Buta diplomatic rowwith Turkey, which has suspended its 400-year old ties with The Netherlands and triggered incendiary accusations from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has gate-crashed the polls.
“You are being taken hostage by Erdogan. Close the Dutch borders,” Wilders told Rutte, as tempers flared late Monday.
“That’s a totally fake solution,” Rutte shot back, “you want Nexit, you want The Netherlands out of Europe. You know what it will cost... don’t do it.” Rutte said it was time to de- escalate the crisis with Ankara, but Wilders retorted: “We must answer back. We must expel the Turkish ambassador and his staff.”