Polling stations open for Dutch parliamentary election
Just under two years since the last parliamentary election, it is again time for citizens of the Netherlands to elect their representatives in the Tweede Kamer. Some polling stations are already open, and most of the rest will open their doors in the coming hour.
This year, around 13.4 million Netherlands residents are eligible to vote. Those casting a ballot need to present both their voting pass and ID. The votes dropped into ballot boxes on Wednesday are will elect members of the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of the Dutch parliament.
A total of 1,116 candidates across 27 political parties are competing for 150 seats in the Tweede Kamer. The party that wins the most seats in the election traditionally gets the first chance to form a coalition government.
The two final polls conducted before the election showed falling support for the far-right PVV, but a good chance the party wins a plurality of votes. But the Ipsos I&O poll showed the PVV in a dead heat with left wing alliance GroenLinks-PvdA, and center-left D66. The CDA could also return to power, and the VVD will potentially have a voice despite waning confidence among party members.
Regardless, after PVV leader Geert Wilders toppled the current Cabinet, most other parties have ruled out working with him again. Coalition partners VVD, BBB, and NSC have all dramatically lost support since the previous election two years ago, with NSC a virtual non-starter for voters.
There are 10,031 polling stations spread across the Netherlands this year, including at 47 train stations for commuters’ convenience. Most polling stations are open between 7:30 a.m. and 9:00 p.m., though a few opened earlier.
The polling station in Winterswijk opened at 5:00 a.m., for example. Voting started in Aalten at 5:15 a.m. and in Zwijndrecht at 5:30 a.m.
The ballot boxes will be locked up at 9:00 p.m. The first exit poll will be released almost immediately after.
