THE TELEGRAPH: Geert Wilders is on course to become a kingmaker for a new coalition government in the Netherlands after his anti-Islamic Freedom Party nearly tripled its representation in the Dutch parliament in Wednesday's elections.
The far-Right Dutch politician's controversial PVV party came third, behind Labour and the victorious Liberals.
PVV increased its number of MPs from nine to 24 after campaigning against immigration, for a tax on Muslim headscarves, a ban on the Koran and against the building of new mosques.
"We would love to govern," Mr Wilders said. "1.5 million people voted for us and our plans for more safety, less immigration and less Islam. We are the big winner and they cannot ignore us. We want to be taken seriously."
Mark Rutte, the leader of the centre-right Liberal VVD and the man expected to be the next Dutch prime minister, hailed his party's unprecedented victory. "It appears as if for the first time in our history that the VVD has become the largest party in the Netherlands," he said.
Mr Rutte's VVD is now expected to form a Right-wing coalition government with Mr Wilders and the Christian Democrat CDA, after that party lost 20 seats to fall from first to fourth place in Dutch politics. >>> Bruno Waterfield | Thursday, June 10, 2010
