Anti-Islam populist leader Geert Wilders has been defeated in the Netherlands general election, according to vote analysis.
His hard-right anti-immigration Freedom Party was neck and neck with the centre-left D66 led by the 38-year-old Rob Jetten, who is now likely to become the next Dutch prime minister.
According to the news agency ANP, the D66’s lead of 15,000 votes means that although a small number of votes are yet to be counted, Mr Wilders cannot win.
Mr Jetten said he was “very proud of this historic result” and now felt “a great responsibility” to form a stable government.
His victory had also “shown to the rest of Europe and the world that it is possible to beat the populist movements if you campaign with a positive message”.
Although Mr Wilders had led in the opinion polls, Mr Jetten led a positive campaign with the catchphrase “yes we can” helping him win the main Dutch cities including Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht
While both parties have 26 seats each, Mr Jetten’s liberals could also win another one taking them to 27 and the biggest party in parliament.
However, to govern he needs to form a coalition of 76 MPs in the 150-seat parliament, requiring the support of at least three other parties.
All major mainstream parties have ruled out governing with Mr Wilders after he brought down the last coalition led by his party, leaving him no viable path to a majority.
Mr Wilders, one of Europe's longest-serving populist leaders, is known for his anti-Islam stance and lives under constant police protection because of death threats.
He proposed denying all asylum requests – a move that would breach EU treaties, sending male Ukrainian refugees back to their homeland and halting development aid to finance energy and health care.
Two years ago he led his party to a surprise first-place finish in the election and formed an all-conservative coalition, although his partners refused to endorse him as prime minister. He brought the government down in June over its refusal to adopt his hardline measures.
Mr Jetten's popularity has surged in the past month, as he campaigned on a promise to resolve a housing shortage, invest in education and tackle immigration concerns.
D66 made the biggest gains and almost tripled its seats, and if he becomes prime minister, Mr Jetten will be the youngest in modern Dutch history.
