Exit poll in Dutch election says pro-business VVD party and Labor tie, far right advances

Netherlands exit poll: Pro-business, Labor in tie

AMSTERDAM — Preliminary exit polls in Dutch elections Wednesday showed the pro-business VVD party and Labor finished in a dead heat as the largest parties, dealing a blow to the ruling Christian Democrats and giving an anti-Islam party its best showing ever.

The projections showed the two largest parties each winning 31 seats in the 150-seat parliament.

Experts said the results, if they hold up, will create a chaotic race to form a coalition commanding a 76-seat majority. Neither the right nor the left appears able to put together a government without major comprise among rival ideologies.

One possible coalition partner might be Geert Wilders of the Freedom Party, who campaigned to stop immigration from Muslim countries. The Freedom Party won 23 seats — more than doubling his current holding in the legislature of nine.

The Christian Democrats of the outgoing prime minister, Jan Peter Balkenende, won 21 — cut nearly in half.

The results were a stunning departure from pre-election polls, which had showed for weeks Mark Rutte’s VVD party holding a commanding lead with Labor trailing far behind.

The VVD has pledged to slash the burgeoning deficit without raising taxes, mainly by cutting welfare programs and stimulating new jobs. Labor has criticized the program as harmful to the poor.

Amsterdam Mayor Job Cohen’s Labor Party wants to preserve government social programs, raise taxes and make it easier for immigrants to integrate rather than punishing those that fail.

The preliminary projections were based on exit polls at 39 polling stations conducted by the private polling company Synovate, and commissioned by the country’s three largest news organizations, the state-funded NOS broadcaster, RTL and the ANP news agency.

In recent years, the projection released immediately after voting ended have proven accurate within a few seats.

The leaders of the main parties were expected to appear together on national television once the trend is clear.