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Tight race in Dutch election as anti-Islam populist Wilders' hope of power declines
Geert Wilders' anti-Islam Freedom party is facing a tight race in Wednesday's Dutch election, and even if he wins the vote his hopes of forming a new government appear minimal.
Wilders was the clear winner last time Dutch voters went to the polls in November 2023, but final opinion polls ahead of voting suggest a fall in his support.
Dutch voters are grappling with a series of crises, from a chronic housing shortage to overcrowded asylum centres. The cost of living is rising with sky-high rents and healthcare costs.
Unlike last time, Wilders' rivals are refusing to work with him after he brought down his own coalition government last June.
Voting opens in Netherlands as narrowing polls suggest second Geert Wilders win
Major parties rule out coalition with rightwinger, giving his party little chance of being part of government
Voting is under way in a knife-edge parliamentary election in the Netherlands that polls suggest could again be won by the far-right Freedom party (PVV) of Geert Wilders, although there is little chance of it being part of the next government.
The PVV, which finished a shock first in the last election and formed a short-lived, four-party rightwing coalition, has seen its once sizeable lead fade fast. With nearly half the electorate undecided, analysts say the race is too tight to call.
Final polling averages suggest Wilders’ party could win between 24 and 28 seats in the 150-seat parliament, well down on the 37 it captured in the 2023 elections. Even if it does finish first, all major parties have ruled out going into government with the anti-immigration firebrand.
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