- Title: Dutch PM votes in parliamentary election as he leads polls
- Date: 15th March 2017
- Summary: THE HAGUE, THE NETHERLANDS (MARCH 15, 2017) (REUTERS) ***WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** VARIOUS OF MEDIA CROWD SURROUNDING DUTCH PRIME MINISTER, MARK RUTTE, AS HE ARRIVES TO CAST HIS VOTE VARIOUS OF RUTTE COLLECTING BALLOTS AND WALKING TO VOTING BOOTH RUTTE CASTING VOTE THEN SMELLING POT OF COFFEE VARIOUS OF RUTTE SURROUNDED BY MEDIA CROWD AS HE LEAVES VOTING OFFICE RUTTE SPEAKING TO SCHOOL CHILDREN (SOUNDBITE) (English) DUTCH PRIME MINISTER, MARK RUTTE, SAYING: "The fact that politicians only enlarge the problems instead of solving them, having a political leader who wants to take away the Koran from Muslims in the Netherlands, who wants to close our mosques, who is basically talking about not taking the necessary decisions to take the country forward. There's nothing wrong with populism, the wrong sort of populism is not addressing the real issues of the people, only making them bigger, instead of solving them." RUTTE LEAVING SURROUNDED BY MEDIA
- Embargoed: 29th March 2017 10:15
- Keywords: Netherlands Wilders Rutte election hague VDD PVV
- Location: THE HAGUE, THE NETHERLANDS
- City: THE HAGUE, THE NETHERLANDS
- Country: Netherlands
- Topics: Government/Politics,Elections/Voting
- Reuters ID: LVA001682JVIF
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: A HIGHER QUALITY EDIT OF RUTTE VOTING WILL FOLLOW IN 3144-NETHERLANDS-ELECTION/RUTTE-WILDERS VOTE
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, who has a slim lead over nationalist, anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders of the Party for Freedom, cast his vote in national elections on Wednesday (March 15).
The election is being seen as a test of anti-establishment and anti-immigrant sentiment in the middle of a fiery dispute with Turkey and at a time of doubts about the future of the European Union.
Up to 13 million voters will determine which parties will win the most parliamentary seats.
Polls showed Rutte's centre-right VVD with a small lead over Wilders's party.
Rutte and other parties have ruled out a coalition with Wilders, viewing his policies as offensive or even unconstitutional, but the fragmented political landscape means a coalition government of four or more parties is all but inevitable.
Polling stations across the country opened at 7:30 a.m. (0630 GMT) and will close at 9:00 p.m. (2000 GMT). - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2017. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
