THE HAGUE, Oct. 30 (Xinhua) -- No clear winner has emerged from the Dutch parliamentary elections, with the Party for Freedom (PVV) and the Democrats 66 (D66) locked in a near tie for first place.
According to a provisional tally released Thursday by the Dutch ANP news agency, with over 99 percent of the votes counted, both parties are projected to win 26 seats in the 150-seat lower house. The PVV currently holds a razor-thin lead of just 1,984 votes.
This narrow margin remains uncertain, as ballots from some key municipalities including Amsterdam, and Dutch voters abroad, are still being tallied.
The outcome, which determines which party has the moral authority to lead subsequent coalition talks, may not be finalized for days.
PVV leader Geert Wilders said that his party would take charge of formation talks if it emerged as the largest. On social media platform X, he demanded "full clarity" before any potential coalition scout appointed by D66 could begin work.
A coalition scout is an official tasked with exploring possibilities for a new governing coalition following an election.
Due to the narrow margin, a final result confirming the largest party may not be known for days. Overseas postal votes, which are handled by The Hague municipality and are not due to be fully counted until Monday evening at the earliest, are expected to be decisive, according to the Dutch public broadcaster NOS.
While an initial exit poll on Wednesday night gave D66 a narrow lead with 27 seats, its current projection of 26 still marks a significant gain. The party won 17 seats in the 2023 elections.
The election was called after the PVV withdrew from the governing coalition in June over an immigration dispute, leading to the resignation of Prime Minister Dick Schoof's cabinet, which has since served in a caretaker capacity. The winning party is expected to begin coalition talks to form a new government. ■
