Dutch vote in test for Europe’s far right

The Dutch headed to the polls yesterday for a snap election seen as a litmus test for the strength of the far right, which has made powerful gains across Europe.

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Polls suggest anti-immigration and anti-Islam firebrand Geert Wilders is on course to repeat his stunning election success from two years ago with his farright Freedom Party (PVV).

But with half the electorate still undecided, the result is too close to call, with a pack of three other parties closing the gap in recent days.

"It is impossible to tell right now who might win the elections because there are four parties tied for first place," Sarah de Lange, professor of Dutch politics at Leiden University, told AFP.

"And on top of that, over 50% of Dutch voters are still undecided," she added. One thing is virtually certain: Mr Wilders will not be prime minister whatever the result.

He sparked the election by collapsing the previous government in a row over immigration, pulling the PVV out of a fractious fourway coalition.