Liberal VVD party remains largest party in the Netherlands, ECPM parties receive over half a million votes.

Over 80% of the Dutch voters went to the ballot box yesterday in the Dutch national elections. The result of the votes will lead to a complicated puzzle for a new government but clearly ruled out a massive up rise of right wing populism.

Ruling party VVD lost 8 seats but remained the largest with 33 seats in the Dutch parliament (of a total of 150). The other ruling party, PvdA lost an astonishing number of seats and went from 38 to 9 seats. This makes a continuation of the VVD-PvdA government impossible.

The PVV party of Geert Wilders won several seats and will have 20 representatives in the parliament. What Europe feared, a huge win for right wing populism did not happen although the PVV did become the second largest party of the Netherlands.

ECPM members ChristenUnie and SGP grew in votes (60.000 and 20.000) but not in seats. However due to the fragmented outcome of the elections, there is a chance that one or both parties might be invited to discuss the formation of a government.

However, parties that VDD will look to first are the big winners of the Dutch elections: CDA, D66 and GroenLinks. It is likely that these parties will try to form a four-party coalition. If this fails it is likely that Mark Rutte (Prime Minister and leader of VVD) will turn to the two Dutch ECPM members.