Far-right politician Geert Wilders, leader of the Freedom Party (European)
Preliminary results of legislative elections in the Netherlands showed the victory of Geert Wilders' far-right anti-Islam Freedom Party.
According to preliminary results, Wilders' far-right party won 35 of the 150 seats in the lower house of the Dutch parliament. The Freedom Party becomes the first far-right party to win parliamentary elections in the Netherlands.
The quota represents a weight in the Dutch House of Representatives, which has many dispersed forces.
An Ipsos poll showed Frans Timmermans' Left and Environmentalists Alliance winning 25 seats, second in the legislative elections. The center-right party came third, winning 24 seats, according to the poll.
Coalition talks are expected to take a long time and be fraught with difficulties.
Addressing supporters after the preliminary results of Wednesday's election, Wilders said: "The results can no longer be ignored and we will govern the country."
He called on other parties to seek common with his party and work together, saying otherwise it would be against democracy.
The Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth published a video showing Wilders celebrating preliminary results showing his party leading the election results, with the Israeli flag behind him.
Wilders, a member of the Dutch House of Representatives and a far-right politician, is known for his anti-Arab, anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant stances. He posted videos mocking what he said was the rise of Muslims in the Netherlands, saying watching them praying on the streets of the Netherlands threatened to strip the Netherlands of its identity.
Source : Al Jazeera + Agencies