Netherlands hold House elections today

Elections are being held today for the House of Representatives of the Dutch parliament. The key contenders that are leading the polls are the People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy, led by Prime Minister Mark Rutte, and the anti-immigration Party for Freedom, led by Geert Wilders. Rutte supports EU membership, while Wilders has called for the Netherlands to abandon the EU.

Recall, a Dutch referendum held in April 2016 rejected the Ukraine-EU Association Agreement. A compromise was reached in December between the EU leadership and the Dutch government, in the form of a separate document that calls for upholding six points that merely reiterate the conditions of the agreement, without amending any portion.

The Dutch House approved the Ukraine-EU Association Agreement on Feb. 23, while the Senate could vote on the agreement as early as next month.

Zenon Zawada: The big question is not who will win the election, but whether the anti-EU party led by Wilders will gain enough votes to form a coalition government. If he does, that could influence the Senate in its upcoming vote on the Ukraine-EU Association Agreement. Wilders and his party will need an exceptionally strong performance, given that center-right parties have already said they will not form a coalition with him.