The Netherlands is the first of the 27 EU member states to vote in the EP elections on June 6-9.
THE HAGUE, June 6 (Xinhua) -- The far-right Party for Freedom (PVV), led by Geert Wilders, was projected to score big gains in the Dutch elections for the European Parliament (EP) Thursday, according to an exit poll conducted by broadcaster NOS.
The PVV, which won the latest Dutch general elections on Nov. 22, was expected to secure seven out of the 31 seats, a notable increase from the previous EP elections five years ago, in which it obtained only one.
The Netherlands is the first of the 27 EU member states to vote in the EP elections on June 6-9.
However, PVV is still projected to have one seat fewer than the Green-Left-Labor alliance led by Frans Timmermans, which is anticipated to win eight.
"PVV THE BIGGEST WINNER!" tweeted Wilders on the social platform X. "From 1 to 7 seats in the exit poll! And super exciting because we can still become the biggest when the final results are announced on Sunday!"
The exit polls have a margin of error of one seat per party, meaning the final count could vary by one seat higher or lower. In addition, voter turnout on Thursday is predicted to reach 47 percent, up from the 42 percent recorded in the 2019 EP elections. ■
