Coalition parties lose seats in poll

The coalition parties lost three seats in Maurice de Hond's weekly polls, leaving them with virtually 29 seats just before the provincial election in March. The VVD lost two seats in the poll and the PvdA lost one. According to De Hond, the VVD's loss is due to the publicity about Parliamentarian Mark Verheijen's faulty declarations. The three seats that the coalition parties lost went to the CDA, SP and Partij voor de Dieren. Maurice de Hond's weekly poll is seen as a good indicator of how Dutch citizens will cast their votes. The provincial election is important as it basically determines how the Eerste Kamer (Senate) is made up. As things stand now, the coalition parties could very well lose their majority.