Geert Wilders: Far-right and anti-Islam populist wins most votes, Dutch exit poll predicts

Geert Wilders, a far-right, anti-Islam populist, secured a decisive victory in the Dutch election according to an exit poll. The poll, released by the national broadcaster NOS, showed that Wilders' Party for Freedom obtained 35 seats in the 150-seat lower house of Parliament, a significant increase from the 17 seats they won in the previous election. If the results are confirmed after the vote count, Wilders could lead discussions to form a new ruling coalition and potentially become the country's prime minister.

A Wilders victory would have far-reaching implications for European politics. His electoral platform includes proposals for a referendum on the Netherlands leaving the European Union, a complete cessation of accepting asylum-seekers, and implementing measures to prevent the entry of migrants at Dutch borders. Additionally, his agenda stresses on the "de-Islamisation" of the Netherlands.

Despite these electoral gains, Wilders, who has been labelled a Dutch version of Donald Trump, must navigate the challenge of forming a coalition government before assuming leadership as mainstream parties are hesitant to join forces with him and the Party for Freedom. The exit poll, while subject to a margin of error of up to three seats, is generally considered accurate within one or two seats, as stated by Ipsos.