Dutch PM Rutte claims victory in voting, says 'populism' halted

THE HAGUE - The Netherlands has rejected "the wrong kind of populism", Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said on Wednesday after exit polls in the parliamentary election showed his center-right People's Party for Freedom and Democracy, known as VVD, would keep its position as the biggest party.

"It seems that the VVD will be the largest party three times in a row," Rutte told a crowd of cheering supporters at an election night gathering at the World Trade Center in The Hague.

"It is an evening when the Netherlands said stop to the wrong kind of populism after Brexit and the US elections," Rutte said.

The first exit polls showed that the VVD would win 31 out of 150 seats in the lower house of Parliament, while its biggest competitor, the far-right Party for Freedom, or PVV, would secure just 19 seats, the same as the Democratic 66 (D66) and the Christian Democrats (CDA).

The VVD's victory over the PVV in the race to become the biggest party means the Dutch people refused to give power to a right-wing populist party. A win for the PVV could have been a continuation of the populism sweeping through Europe and a barometer for the French presidential elections to be kicked off next month and Germany's elections in September.

Alexander Pechtold, leader of D66, reacted to the polls with a message similar to Rutte's.

"After Trump and the Brexit, people looked at Europe, where three countries could send a signal whether or not this continent is following the populists. And it was shown that that sound has been stopped here in the Netherlands," said Pechtold.

Jesse Klaver, leader of the GroenLinks party, also said in his election night speech that populism did not break through, calling it "a historic night".

PVV leader Geert Wilders, using Twitter, thanked the people who voted for him. "We have won seats. That's the first victory. Rutte will not get rid of me yet," said Wilders.

Wilders had been in a neck-and-neck battle with Rutte throughout his campaign, but slid in opinion polls in the final run-up to voting day.

Rutte noted that differences had been emphasized throughout the campaign and called on the parties to "bring the country back together again" and to form a stable government in a "sensible manner" in the coming weeks and months.

The final results of the election will be released on March 21.