Shock as far-right set to win in Netherlands vote

ANTI-ISLAM populist Geert Wilders has won a huge victory in the Dutch elections, according to a near complete count of the vote, in a stunning lurch to the far-right for a nation once famed as a beacon of tolerance. The result will send shockwaves throughout Europe, where far-right ideology is on the rise, and puts Mr Wilders in line to lead talks to form the next governing coalition and possibly become the first far-right prime minister of the Netherlands.

With nearly all votes counted, Mr Wilders’ Party for Freedom was forecast to win 37 seats in the 150-seat lower house of parliament, two more than predicted by an exit poll when voting finished on Wednesday night and more than double the 17 he won at the last election.

A jubilant Mr Wilders said: “I had to pinch my arm.”