Dutch PM Rutte seizes victory over far-right Wilders

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte easily defeated a strong challenge by far-right rival Geert Wilders in key elections on Wednesday, seen as a bellwether of populist support in Europe, partial vote counts said Thursday.

With around 95% of votes counted, Rutte's VVD Party won 33 of parliament's 150 seats, down from 41 at the last vote in 2012. Wilders was second with 20, the CDA and centrist Democrats 66 tied for third with 19 each, data provided by the ANP news agency showed.

The election saw a turnout of 78%, the highest in a decade.

Rutte will need to enter into coalition talks to form a new government, as expected and is typical for the 150-seat Dutch parliament. However, despite a projected second-place finish, Wilders is not likely to be part of those negotiations, with all major parties unwilling to work with his populist, anti-Islam MPs.

The collapse of Rutte’s former coalition partners, the social democratic PvdA, slumping from 38 seats to a projected nine, means the Prime Minister will need to seek new agreements. The Christian Democrats and Democrats 66, each with an expected 19 MPs, are the obvious candidates. GreenLeft, led by 30-year-old Jesse Klaver, however, made strides as its four seats were boosted to a projected 14. 

Rutte declared it an "evening in which the Netherlands, after Brexit, after the American elections, said 'stop' to the wrong kind of populism."

Rutte received congratulatory messages from European leaders and spoke with some by telephone. The euro EUR gained as the results pointed to a clear Rutte victory.

Experts said Rutte won on a mix of factors, not all of which may apply to France, whose political establishment faces a challenge from a far right populist Marine Le Pen next month.

Rutte got a last-minute boost from a diplomatic row with Turkey, which allowed him to take a tough line on a majority Muslim country during an election campaign in which immigration and integration have been key issues.

Wilders said he had not achieved the electoral victory he had hoped for but was ready to offer tough opposition.

"I would rather have been the largest party.... but we are not a party that has lost. We gained seats. That's a result to be proud of," Wilder told journalists.

Following last year's shock Brexit referendum and Donald Trump's victory in the US, the Dutch vote was being closely scrutinised as a gauge of the rise of populism on the continent ahead of crucial elections in France and Germany.