Polls see gains for Wilders in Dutch election
One day before the Dutch parliamentary elections, polls are predicting big gains for right-wing populist Geert Wilders.
Wilders' Party for Freedom (PVV) is on a par with the right-wing liberal governing party VVD in the latest polls. The red-green electoral alliance is almost on a par. According to the published overview of the polls, a neck-and-neck race between the three parties is emerging. All could achieve between 16 and 18 percent of the vote. The PVV has never been part of a governing coalition since it was founded in 2006.
Wilders' party had made a significant leap forward in the polls after the right-wing liberal VVD had not ruled out a coalition with him. Opposition parties accuse the VVD of having made Wilders socially acceptable.
Around 70 percent have not yet made a clear election decision
The alliance of the Social Democratic and Green parties with the lead candidate and former EU Commissioner, Frans Timmermans, also made significant gains in the latest polls. The previous favorite, the former Christian Democrat Pieter Omtzigt and his new party NSC, on the other hand, fell back in the latest polls and is now in fourth place. According to election researchers, around 70 percent of the Dutch have not yet made a clear decision.
The early general election became necessary after Prime Minister Mark Rutte's centre-right coalition collapsed in the summer. The reason for this was a conflict over migration policy. The right-wing liberal Rutte then announced that he would leave national politics. He has been prime minister for around 13 years and will remain in office until a successor is elected.
Source: www.dpa.com
