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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Jon Henley Europe correspondent

Geert Wilders faces shutout as centrists hail huge gains in knife-edge Dutch election

Rob Jetten raising a clenched fist and smiling after the exit poll revealed his party had made big gains
Rob Jetten, the D66 leader, celebrating after the exit poll showed strong results for his socially progressive party. Photograph: Piroschka Van De Wouw/Reuters

Geert Wilders is almost certain to be shut out of the next Dutch government after a knife-edge general election in which support for his far-right Freedom party (PVV) slumped and the liberal-progressive D66 party made spectacular gains.

With 99.7% of ballots counted, the two parties were neck and neck on a projected 26 seats each in the 150-seat parliament, with D66 an estimated 15,000 votes ahead after the capital, Amsterdam, declared preliminary results on Thursday.

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