Early results from the Netherlands election say Prime Minister Mark Rutte's party has won the most seats in parliament, defeating that of anti-immigrant, anti-Islam nationalist Geert Wilders by a larger margin than expected.
Rutte's center-right People's Party for Freedom and Democracy is expected to take 31 of 150 seats, far ahead of any other party. Three parties are expected to win 19 seats each, including Wilders' anti-immigration Freedom Party.
Officials say voter turnout was the highest in three decades, at 81 percent.
Rutte called the results "a celebration of democracy." He said the Netherlands has said no to the "wrong kind of populists."
Various European leaders are voicing their approval of the outcome. German Chancellor Angela Merkel congratulated Rutte by phone, while French President Francois Hollande released a statement praising "the values of openness, respect for others, and a faith in Europe's future" as the only true responses to nationalism and isolationism. Luxembourg's Prime Minister Xavier Bettel took to social media to tweet his support.
Wilders' run was seen as the latest test of a wave of populism to sweep across Europe, extending as far as the United States across the Atlantic. After Britain sent shock waves across Europe by voting to leave the EU, Wilders' climb to prominence was seen as further warning that cooperation among European nations could be threatened.
荷兰选举的初步计票结果表明,首相马克·鲁特的政党赢得了议会中最多的席位,以超过预期的多数票击败了反移民,反伊斯兰的民粹主义者吉尔特·威尔德斯。
鲁特领导的自由民主人民党预计将赢得议会150个席位中的31席,超过任何其他党。预计包括威尔德斯的自由党在内的三个政党将赢得19个席位。
有关官员说,这次选举的选民投票率是三十年来最高的,达到81%。
鲁特称选举结果对“民主的庆祝”。他说,荷兰人民对“错误的民粹主义者”说不。
欧洲各国领导人纷纷对选举结果表示支持。德国总理默克尔通过电话祝贺鲁特,法国总统奥朗德则发表声明称赞“开放、尊重他人的价值观和对欧洲未来的信念”是对民族主义和孤立主义唯一的真正回应。卢森堡总理泽维尔贝特尔则在社交媒体上发声,支持荷兰选举结果。
威尔德斯的竞选被看作是一波横扫欧洲,甚至横跨大西洋延伸到美国的民粹主义的最新考验。自英国通过全民投票决定离开欧盟而发出冲击波之后,威尔德斯的支持率一路上升被视为进一步警告,说明欧洲国家之间的合作可能受到威胁。
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