"Geert Wilders is almost certain to be shut out of the next Dutch government after a knife-edge general election in which support for his far-right Freedom party (PVV) slumped and the liberal-progressive D66 party made spectacular gains. With 99.7% of ballots counted, the two parties were neck and neck on a projected 26 seats each in the 150-seat parliament, with D66 an estimated 15,000 votes ahead after the capital, Amsterdam, declared preliminary results on Thursday."
"Wilders nonetheless insisted on Thursday that he should take the lead in forming a new government if the PVV ultimately emerged with the most votes, saying parties should be crystal clear about which was the largest in parliament. As long as there's no 100% clarity on this, no D66 scout can get started, he posted on social media. We will do everything we can to prevent this."
PVV support slumped while liberal-progressive D66 made significant gains in a knife-edge general election, leaving both parties projected at 26 seats each with D66 marginally ahead. With 99.7% counted and around 90,000 overseas ballots pending, final results may shift but D66's leader Rob Jetten is positioned to seek coalition talks and become prime minister. Major mainstream parties have ruled out governing with Geert Wilders due to his anti-Islam stance and prior collapse of a short-lived rightwing coalition over strict immigration plans. Wilders insists the largest party should lead forming a government, but he currently lacks a viable majority.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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