Skip to main content
Home

Main navigation

  • Top stories
  • Health
  • Crime
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Tech
  • Culture
  • Sports
  • Weird
  • 1-1-2
Image
CDA, VVD and ChristenUnie campaign banners in Ermelo, 22 March 2018
CDA, VVD and ChristenUnie campaign banners in Ermelo, 22 March 2018 - Credit: Photo: Zachary Newmark / NL Times
Politics
Mark Rutte
VVD
Sybrand Buma
CDA
Thursday, 22 March 2018 - 08:08
Share this:
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • linkedin
  • whatsapp
  • reddit

Liberals, Christian democrats neck-on-neck to be biggest national party

With 97 percent of votes counted, it is clear that local parties received the most votes in the municipal elections on Wednesday. The VVD and CDA are neck-on-neck to become the biggest national party, with the liberals leading by a hair, according to ANP's election service.

The results for 7,500 council seats are known so far, NU.nl reports. 55 percent of voters voted in the municipal election, a slightly higher turnout compared to 54 percent in the previous municipal elections four years ago.

Around a third of the votes counted so far went to local parties, an increase compared to the previous municipal elections, when a quarter of the people in the same municipalities voted for local parties. At this stage the VVD and CDA can each count on 13 percent of the votes. But as the Christian Democrats tend not to score well in the big cities, the VVD can cautiously claim victory.

"The outlook is really nice. Fantastic!" VVD leader Mark Rutte commented, according to NU.nl. "Truly a brilliant result seems to emerge tonight." If the VVD comes out on top in the municipal elections, it will be the first time in the party's 70 years of existence. Four years ago the VVD came out second biggest, behind the CDA.

According to CDA leader Sybrand Buma, his party now maintains itself as one of the few national parties in a political world that is increasingly fragmenting. He calls it a big responsibility for the CDA. "The CDA will be prepared to take that responsibility wherever possible", Buma said in a first reaction.

Exit polls on Wednesday night showed that green party GroenLinks was the big winner in Amsterdam, with enough votes to nearly double their city council seats from 6 to 11. The D66 and PvdA were the big losers, each dropping five seats.

The trend of GroenLinks gaining, and D66 and PvdA losing was also visible in Rotterdam and Utrecht.

Vergeet je niet te stemmen? Het kan nog tot 21.00 uur! #Kiesvoordoen #GR18 pic.twitter.com/k8m5U7lg5o

— VVD (@VVD) March 21, 2018

Follow us:

Latest stories

  • Tubbergen knew for months gov't could force asylum center to open in Albergen hotel
  • Essent to slash energy rates by 50%, affecting 1.2 million Dutch households
  • More phone scams reported in Netherlands, especially in English
  • Garbage strikes announced for Rotterdam, The Hague, Groningen
  • Dutch PM wants to "detoxify" border fences discussion; Unlikely that EU will fund them
  • FvD and its split offs responsible for most absenteeism in Provincial Councils by far

Top stories

  • Annual inflation rate fell for 4th straight month to 7.6 percent
  • Dutch team rescues 11 people, dog from earthquake rubble in Turkey
  • Netherlands summons Russian ambassador over indications that Putin was involved in MH17
  • Three Dutch people reportedly among those killed in Turkey-Syria earthquakes
  • Putin played an active role in conflict around MH17 downing; No new suspects prosecuted
  • 42% of secondary school teachers witnessed anti-Semitism in class

© 2012-2023, NL Times, All rights reserved.

Footer menu

  • Privacy
  • Contact
  • Partner content