Rutte ‘wins Netherlands election’ over Wilders

DUTCH Prime Minister Mark Rutte is on track to notch up a dominating parliamentary election victory over anti-Islam firebrand Geert Wilders.

The Netherlands’ main exit poll last night suggests Mr Rutte’s party won 31 seats in the 150-place legislature, 12 more than Mr Wilders’ party, which shared second place with two other parties.

“I am so proud at what has happened and happy that we have been given the trust again” by voters, said Tamara van Ark, campaign leader of Mr Rutte’s centre-right VVD party.

With France and Germany facing elections in the months ahead, Mr Rutte hoped to slow the momentum of what he called the “wrong sort of populism” after last’s year British vote to leave the European Union and the election of US President Donald Trump.

“This is a chance for a big democracy like the Netherlands to make a point to stop this toppling over of the domino stones” of populism, Mr Rutte said after voting.

Mr Wilders had insisted that whatever the result of yesterday’s election, the kind of populist politics he and others in Europe represent are not going away.

“Rutte has not seen the back of me!!” Wilders said in a Twitter reaction.

Under brilliant skies, the Dutch went to vote in huge numbers, with turnout estimated to have reached 82%.

In a subplot of the elections, the Ipsos exit poll had the Green Left party registering a historic victory, turning it into the largest party on the left wing of Dutch politics for the first time.

The Greens leapt from four seats to 16 in parliament.