Free Republic

Pro-EU forces across the continent were celebrating the victory of Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte's Liberal Party over upstart populist Geert Wilders Freedom Party. The Liberals have picked up at least 30 seats in the 150 member Dutch Parliament with the Freedom Party gaining 20 seats. But the Dutch voters scattered their support among 5 parties, making Rutte's job of forming a coalition government extremely difficult. The outcome was worse than opinion polls had suggested for Wilders, representing a rejection of his platform of pulling the Netherlands out of the European Union, abandoning the euro, closing Dutch borders and stopping...

Mr Wilders, the leader of the anti-Islamist Party for Freedom (PVV), is taking on Mr Rutte, from the Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), in the knife-edge election race. The blonde populist has already cast his vote in the election after a fiery election campaign in which he pledged to shut the country's borders, ban the Koran and close mosques. 11am GMT update: Many PVV voters are backing Mr Wilders in order to rock the political establishment and voice their anger over sky-high immigration. "I am voting for Wilders. I hope he can make a change to make the Netherlands...

With two hours before the polling stations close, experts said turnout in the Dutch general election could top 80%. Some 55% of the 13 million people eligible to vote had cast their ballot by 5.45pm, compared with 48% at the previous election in 2012. The number of voters is so high that extra ballot papers are being printed for polling stations in Amsterdam, The Hague and Tilburg. Utrecht city council said on Twitter that turnout in Utrecht had hit 71% by 7pm, with two hours to go before the polls close. On the Wadden Sea island of Schiermonnikoog turnout topped...