Holland votes NO TO MUSLIMS & ISLAM - Swing to the right in Netherlands poll
Pim Fortuyn's murder has touched many voters
Right-wing parties are on course to form the country's next government following Wednesday's general election.
With 80% of the votes counted, the centre-right Christian Democrats are predicted to have won 44 seats to become the largest party.
Fortuyn's murder totally changed the character of the campaign
The anti-immigaration party of murdered politician Pim Fortuyn is expected to take 26 seats.
The governing centre-left coalition of interim Prime Minister Wim Kok, which has been in power for eight years, appears to be heading towards a resounding defeat.
Mr Kok's Labour Party is expected to win 22 seats, with main coalition partners the VVD predicted to take 23 - well down on the last general election.
Voter turnout in the election was high, with may apparently galvanised by Mr Fortuyn's killing by a gunman last week.
'Revolution'
Mr Fortuyn's party has done particularly well in its heartland of Rotterdam.
Rolf Sobrensen, leader of the Lefbar Rotterdam, the movement that launched Mr Fortuyn in his political career, said there had been "an electoral revolution" in the city but it was a pity that Mr Fortuyn did not live to see it.
Election contenders
"For the first time I voted with tears in my eyes, tears of anger and sadness. I see all this and I imagine how it could have been with PF," he told BBC News Online.
"For the first time in years people in the council were laughing because of his sharpness in debate, so it is very sad that this won't happen in parliament. But we have to go on."
The Christian Democrat chief in Rotterdam, Sjaak van der Tak, told BBC News Online that he was delighted with the predicted result.
"It's a good result but with a black background, because of the killing of Pim Fortuyn."
He said the CDA could work with the Pim Fortuyn List, "but its leadership has to be composed of people with stable characters to bring people together".
The BBC's Geraldine Coughlan says the make-up of the new government depends on what type of coalition the parties agree on.
Because of the Dutch system of proportional representation, governments are always coalitions and often take many weeks to form.
Outpouring of grief
Mr Fortuyn had won much support with his plain speaking on topics such as immigration.
: Voters' voices
In pictures: Dutch voters' views
He called Islam "backward" and demanded that the Netherlands close its borders to new immigrants, while foreigners living in the country should do more to integrate.
About one in 10 of the Dutch population of 16 million belongs to an ethnic minority community.
Election campaigning was stopped after Mr Fortuyn's assassination by a lone gunman outside a radio station.
Thousands turned out for his funeral in an outpouring of grief and anger unprecedented in Dutch society.
Police have charged animal rights activist Volkert van der Graaf, 32, with the murder.
He has yet to make a statement to police and is expected to appear in court again on Thursday. |
