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WORLD NEWS Friday 24 May 2019

Strong showing for pro-EU parties in Dutch EU vote

By MIKE CORDER lawmakers, who would lose
GREGORY KATZ their jobs when their coun-
Associated Press try completes its messy di-
THE HAGUE, Netherlands vorce from the EU. Some of
(AP) — Pro-European Dutch its seats will be reassigned
parties were predicted to other EU member states.
Thursday to win most of the The British vote may have a
country's seats in the Euro- direct impact on the future
pean Parliament, with right- of embattled Prime Minister
wing populist opponents of Theresa May, whose Con-
the European Union man- servative Party appears to
aging to take only four of be losing support amid a
the nation's 26 seats. prolonged Brexit impasse.
In a surprise forecast, the May has tried but failed for
Dutch Labor Party of Eu- months to get lawmakers
ropean Commission Vice in the British Parliament to
President Frans Timmer- back her plan to leave the
mans became the coun- EU.
try's biggest party in the Both the Conservatives
751-seat European Parlia- and Labour in Britain were
ment, according to an Ip- predicted to be heading
sos exit poll. for an electoral pasting in
"What an unbelievable exit Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte casts his ballot for the European elections in The Hague, Thursday's vote, due to the
poll!" Labor leader Lodewijk Netherlands, Thursday, May 23, 2019. chaos over Brexit. Results of
Asscher told a gathering of Associated Press the vote will be announced
cheering party faithful. Sunday night, and a poor
The poll was published by Timmermans told NOS, ment. Italy's anti-migrant Interior showing for the Conserva-
Dutch national broadcast- speaking from Spain. The United Kingdom was Minister Matteo Salvini was tives would increase the
er NOS after polling stations Timmermans is a broadly the only other EU country to joined at a rally by 10 other calls for May to step down
closed Thursday evening in respected former Dutch vote Thursday, even as the nationalist leaders, includ- as party leader, which
Netherlands. Earlier in the foreign minister who is try- nation remained in politi- ing far-right leaders Wilders, would set in motion a lead-
day, Dutch and British vot- ing to become the next cal turmoil over its plans to Marine Le Pen of France's ership contest.
ers kicked off the first of four president of the European leave the bloc altogether. National Rally party and Britain's Brexit party, led
days of voting for the Eu- Commission. No exit polls were expect- Joerg Meuthen of the Alter- by Nigel Farage, has ap-
ropean Parliament in all of The Dutch right-wing popu- ed Thursday night from the native for Germany party. peared to gain strength in
the EU's 28 nations. list group Forum for Democ- UK voting. Wilders vowed to keep recent voter surveys. Far-
Official results will only be racy was forecast by the The elections come as sup- fighting the populist cause age voted Thursday, then
announced after the last Ipsos exit poll to win three port is surging for populists even after his party's pro- declared that he hopes to
polling station in the EU seats in its first European and nationalists who want jected big defeat. have the shortest possible
closes late Sunday. elections, but those gains to rein in the EU's powers "We had hoped for more tenure as a member of the
The Dutch Labor party was didn't primarily come at the and strictly limit immigra- seats," Wilders said in a European Parliament be-
forecast to win five seats, expense of Europe's main- tion. Meanwhile, Europe's statement. "But with one cause he wants Britain to
while the pro-European stream parties. Instead, it traditional political power- seat in the European Parlia- leave the EU as quickly as
center right VVD of Dutch appeared they came from houses, both conservative ment we will, together with possible.
Prime Minister Mark Rutte other populists. The anti- and left-wing, insist that uni- our European friends, fight "If you want Brexit, you've
gained one seat to win a Islam Party for Freedom ty is the best buffer against even harder against the EU got to vote Brexit," he said,
total of four seats. led by firebrand lawmaker the shifting economic and monster, Islam and mass- warning lawmakers from
"There is a clear majority of Geert Wilders lost three of security challenges posed migration." Britain's two major par-
people in the Netherlands, its four EU seats, according by an emerging new world Voters across Europe are ties — Conservatives and
if you count them altogeth- to the poll. order. electing 751 lawmakers, al- Labour — that they will be
er, who want the European The splintered result echoes But populists across sev- though that number is set vanquished at Britain's next
Union to continue playing Dutch domestic politics: eral countries have united to drop to 705 when Britain general election unless
a role in tackling problems There are 13 parties in the to challenge those cen- eventually leaves the EU. they respect voters' desire
that need to be solved," 150-seat national parlia- trist forces. On Saturday, The U.K. has 73 European to leave the EU.q