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| In Dutch Election, European Populism Faces a Big Test | In Dutch Election, European Populism Faces a Big Test |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Right now: Voter turnout is high in the Netherlands today as European populism faces its first big electoral test since last year’s “Brexit” referendum and Donald J. Trump’s election. | |
| • All 150 seats in the lower (and more powerful) house of Parliament are up for grabs. It takes a simple majority, 76 seats, to govern. Coalitions are the norm. The landscape is highly fragmented, with 11 parties represented in the current Parliament. | • All 150 seats in the lower (and more powerful) house of Parliament are up for grabs. It takes a simple majority, 76 seats, to govern. Coalitions are the norm. The landscape is highly fragmented, with 11 parties represented in the current Parliament. |
| • Geert Wilders, the anti-immigration and anti-Islam, anti-European Union populist, hopes to win big. His Party for Freedom, or P.V.V., currently holds 12 seats. The coalition system makes it unlikely that he could form a government, but if his party comes in first or second, it would stun the establishment. | • Geert Wilders, the anti-immigration and anti-Islam, anti-European Union populist, hopes to win big. His Party for Freedom, or P.V.V., currently holds 12 seats. The coalition system makes it unlikely that he could form a government, but if his party comes in first or second, it would stun the establishment. |
| • The two largest parties in Parliament — Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s center-right People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy and the center-left Labor Party — have been in a governing coalition since 2012. Mr. Rutte has shifted rightward, in a bid to keep voters from defecting to Mr. Wilders. | • The two largest parties in Parliament — Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s center-right People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy and the center-left Labor Party — have been in a governing coalition since 2012. Mr. Rutte has shifted rightward, in a bid to keep voters from defecting to Mr. Wilders. |
| • Fears of hacking and outside interference are rife, so all vote tallying will be done be hand. | • Fears of hacking and outside interference are rife, so all vote tallying will be done be hand. |
| It is hard to imagine a place where it is easier to vote than in the Netherlands. If you’re a commuter going to work in one of the larger Dutch cities, chances are there will be a voting tent set up in the train station where you board and where you get off. | It is hard to imagine a place where it is easier to vote than in the Netherlands. If you’re a commuter going to work in one of the larger Dutch cities, chances are there will be a voting tent set up in the train station where you board and where you get off. |
| If you were taking high tea at the Hotel Des Indes in The Hague, there was a voting booth one flight up from the wood-paneled lobby. | If you were taking high tea at the Hotel Des Indes in The Hague, there was a voting booth one flight up from the wood-paneled lobby. |
| Doing grocery shopping or going to a bar? Some have tables with makeshift voting booths. | Doing grocery shopping or going to a bar? Some have tables with makeshift voting booths. |
| Playing football or working out? You can vote at sports complexes. You can also vote in community centers, mosques and churches, libraries, homes for the aged and concert halls. | Playing football or working out? You can vote at sports complexes. You can also vote in community centers, mosques and churches, libraries, homes for the aged and concert halls. |
| Voters don’t have to live where they vote, so those vacationing on islands in the North Sea can walk into local polling places and cast their ballot. In the village of Schiermonnikoog on the island of the same name, 105 percent of the population had already voted as of 5 p.m. The extras were visitors to the island. | Voters don’t have to live where they vote, so those vacationing on islands in the North Sea can walk into local polling places and cast their ballot. In the village of Schiermonnikoog on the island of the same name, 105 percent of the population had already voted as of 5 p.m. The extras were visitors to the island. |
| In this country with 12.9 million eligible voters, there are 9,000 polling places, so the lines are relatively short and all voters need to show is their registration card anywhere in the municipality where they live. (Those voting outside their municipality need a special pass.) | In this country with 12.9 million eligible voters, there are 9,000 polling places, so the lines are relatively short and all voters need to show is their registration card anywhere in the municipality where they live. (Those voting outside their municipality need a special pass.) |
| Most polling sites are open from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., but one — a flower kiosk in the train station at Castricum, in the north — got a head start. It opened just after the stroke of midnight, and by 1 a.m., 97 people had cast ballots there. | Most polling sites are open from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., but one — a flower kiosk in the train station at Castricum, in the north — got a head start. It opened just after the stroke of midnight, and by 1 a.m., 97 people had cast ballots there. |
| — ALISSA J. RUBIN and CHRISTOPHER F. SCHUETZE | — ALISSA J. RUBIN and CHRISTOPHER F. SCHUETZE |
| As of 7:15 p.m., 69 percent of the electorate had voted, up from 60 percent at that point in the 2012 parliamentary elections, according to a survey by the polling firm Ipsos, commissioned by public broadcaster NOS and the largest commercial broadcaster RTL. | |
| Anecdotally, volunteers at polling stations, some of whom had staffed multiple elections over the years, said voting was heavy. Some polling stations were running out of ballot papers, according to NOS. | |
| “It’s already a record,” said Jan den Boer, 60, the administrator of a community center in The Hague that adjoins the city’s largest supermarket, Albert Heijn. | “It’s already a record,” said Jan den Boer, 60, the administrator of a community center in The Hague that adjoins the city’s largest supermarket, Albert Heijn. |
| As he munched on a meat sandwich known as a broodje bal, he said: “We’ve already had 900 people vote, maybe more; people are coming in all day. Usually it’s just the morning and evening after work.” | As he munched on a meat sandwich known as a broodje bal, he said: “We’ve already had 900 people vote, maybe more; people are coming in all day. Usually it’s just the morning and evening after work.” |
| “They always say it’s important to vote and this year there’s more of a difference between parties.” | “They always say it’s important to vote and this year there’s more of a difference between parties.” |
| In the towns of Maastricht and Sittard, election officials said they had not seen such high participation in recent memory. | In the towns of Maastricht and Sittard, election officials said they had not seen such high participation in recent memory. |
| “I have never seen anything quite like this,” said a woman distributing ballots at a voting station in Sittard. She had worked as a monitor at three earlier elections. “Today people started early and they’re still coming,” she said. “It’s been nonstop.” | “I have never seen anything quite like this,” said a woman distributing ballots at a voting station in Sittard. She had worked as a monitor at three earlier elections. “Today people started early and they’re still coming,” she said. “It’s been nonstop.” |
| — ALISSA J. RUBIN and MARLISE SIMONS | — ALISSA J. RUBIN and MARLISE SIMONS |
| Brendan Groeneveld, 30, who works in tech support in the city of Almere, east of Amsterdam, said he was supporting Mr. Wilders’s Party for Freedom primarily because of his hobby: Airsport, a gladiator-like pastime similar to paintball, but that uses toys nearly indistinguishable from real firearms, he said. | Brendan Groeneveld, 30, who works in tech support in the city of Almere, east of Amsterdam, said he was supporting Mr. Wilders’s Party for Freedom primarily because of his hobby: Airsport, a gladiator-like pastime similar to paintball, but that uses toys nearly indistinguishable from real firearms, he said. |
| “It is legal, but uncertainties in Dutch law are giving the players a lot of headaches, in regards to some peripheral items,” he said. The Party for Freedom supports expanding the legal use of firearms, he said, “and they’ll at least give more transparency and clarity in regards to what’s allowed and what’s not.” (Mr. Groeneveld added that he would also like to be able to have real firearms for hunting.) | “It is legal, but uncertainties in Dutch law are giving the players a lot of headaches, in regards to some peripheral items,” he said. The Party for Freedom supports expanding the legal use of firearms, he said, “and they’ll at least give more transparency and clarity in regards to what’s allowed and what’s not.” (Mr. Groeneveld added that he would also like to be able to have real firearms for hunting.) |
| Mr. Groeneveld said that his mother was Canadian and his wife was American, but expressed worries about Islam. “A lot of Dutch culture is giving way to other cultures and Islam is the most in-your-face, an obnoxious one,” he said. | Mr. Groeneveld said that his mother was Canadian and his wife was American, but expressed worries about Islam. “A lot of Dutch culture is giving way to other cultures and Islam is the most in-your-face, an obnoxious one,” he said. |
| He said that he agreed when Mr. Wilders talked in public several times about trying to reduce the number of Moroccan immigrants in the Netherlands. “We’re all supposed to be Dutch — one society, one culture — and they persist in standing out,” he said. “I don’t really like that. I’m also of the opinion that specifically Islam has is stuck in the Middle Ages. The rest of the world has adapted to modern times; they’re insisting on public executions and decapitations.” — NINA SIEGAL | He said that he agreed when Mr. Wilders talked in public several times about trying to reduce the number of Moroccan immigrants in the Netherlands. “We’re all supposed to be Dutch — one society, one culture — and they persist in standing out,” he said. “I don’t really like that. I’m also of the opinion that specifically Islam has is stuck in the Middle Ages. The rest of the world has adapted to modern times; they’re insisting on public executions and decapitations.” — NINA SIEGAL |
| On the other end of the spectrum from Mr. Wilders is a new figure: Jesse Klaver, 30, the leader of the Greens, or Green Left. The party holds just four seats in Parliament but seems poised to make big gains. | On the other end of the spectrum from Mr. Wilders is a new figure: Jesse Klaver, 30, the leader of the Greens, or Green Left. The party holds just four seats in Parliament but seems poised to make big gains. |
| Younger, more energetic and more openly urban and cosmopolitan than many of his rivals, Mr. Klaver has made an unabashed appeal to voters in larger cities and their suburbs, emphasizing the country’s international image as a place that welcomes refugees, protects the environment and has a dynamic postindustrial economy. | Younger, more energetic and more openly urban and cosmopolitan than many of his rivals, Mr. Klaver has made an unabashed appeal to voters in larger cities and their suburbs, emphasizing the country’s international image as a place that welcomes refugees, protects the environment and has a dynamic postindustrial economy. |
| The son of a Moroccan father (whom Mr. Klaver says he did not know) and an Indonesian-Dutch mother, Mr. Klaver was raised as a Catholic — a minority in this largely secular nation — and started his career with the National Coalition of Christian Trade Unions. | The son of a Moroccan father (whom Mr. Klaver says he did not know) and an Indonesian-Dutch mother, Mr. Klaver was raised as a Catholic — a minority in this largely secular nation — and started his career with the National Coalition of Christian Trade Unions. |
| With looks that remind many people of a younger Justin Trudeau and an American style of campaigning that included a big final rally that was styled as a “meet-up” with drinks, he is a charismatic newcomer. | With looks that remind many people of a younger Justin Trudeau and an American style of campaigning that included a big final rally that was styled as a “meet-up” with drinks, he is a charismatic newcomer. |
| “The traditional parties are not winning elections any more,” he said in an interview. “What we try to do is to build a movement that is bigger than the traditional parties. What we want to do is to fight populism.” — ALISSA J. RUBIN | “The traditional parties are not winning elections any more,” he said in an interview. “What we try to do is to build a movement that is bigger than the traditional parties. What we want to do is to fight populism.” — ALISSA J. RUBIN |
| Mr. Wilders, the firebrand nativist, is from Limburg, the country’s southernmost province. But when asked about him, voters there were lukewarm. | Mr. Wilders, the firebrand nativist, is from Limburg, the country’s southernmost province. But when asked about him, voters there were lukewarm. |
| “People don’t tell you, they don’t like the negative reactions,” said a white-haired man getting on his bike. He said he had voted for the same party for 50 years. “You can guess which one if you like,” he said, pedaling off. | “People don’t tell you, they don’t like the negative reactions,” said a white-haired man getting on his bike. He said he had voted for the same party for 50 years. “You can guess which one if you like,” he said, pedaling off. |
| Limburgers often shop or hang out in nearby Belgian or German towns, and identify more with this region than with The Hague, the “distant” center of government. | Limburgers often shop or hang out in nearby Belgian or German towns, and identify more with this region than with The Hague, the “distant” center of government. |
| When Mr. Wilders briefly campaigned in the town of Valkenburg, “it was really abnormal, police everywhere, a helicopter flying circles over the center,” said Anna van Meersen, a shop attendant in the town. “How could a man like that govern us?” | When Mr. Wilders briefly campaigned in the town of Valkenburg, “it was really abnormal, police everywhere, a helicopter flying circles over the center,” said Anna van Meersen, a shop attendant in the town. “How could a man like that govern us?” |
| But, she cautioned: “People who vote for Wilders may not talk about it. They don’t like the negative reactions they get.” — MARLISE SIMONS | But, she cautioned: “People who vote for Wilders may not talk about it. They don’t like the negative reactions they get.” — MARLISE SIMONS |
| Paul van’t Veer, 44, a D.J. and music programmer who also works in a record store, grew up attending anti-nuclear rallies in the city of Zwolle in the central-eastern Netherlands. | Paul van’t Veer, 44, a D.J. and music programmer who also works in a record store, grew up attending anti-nuclear rallies in the city of Zwolle in the central-eastern Netherlands. |
| On Wednesday, he planned to vote for the Party for Animals. “They’re one of the only parties that really cares about how the world will be in 15 or 20 years,” he said at a cafe in Zwolle. “The environment is one of the main issues that hasn’t been talked about much before these elections. It’s a bigger fear for me than terrorism is.” | On Wednesday, he planned to vote for the Party for Animals. “They’re one of the only parties that really cares about how the world will be in 15 or 20 years,” he said at a cafe in Zwolle. “The environment is one of the main issues that hasn’t been talked about much before these elections. It’s a bigger fear for me than terrorism is.” |
| But Mr. Veer’s father has moved in a different direction. He plans to vote for Mr. Wilders’s Party for Freedom. | But Mr. Veer’s father has moved in a different direction. He plans to vote for Mr. Wilders’s Party for Freedom. |
| “I’m very sad about that,” the son said. “Nowadays I’m kind of ashamed of Holland because there seems to be far more hate and racism and intolerance than ever came to the surface before.” | “I’m very sad about that,” the son said. “Nowadays I’m kind of ashamed of Holland because there seems to be far more hate and racism and intolerance than ever came to the surface before.” |
| Other voters in Zwolle said they hoped to stem the populist tide. | Other voters in Zwolle said they hoped to stem the populist tide. |
| Iris Groenendyk, 27, a child protection worker, said she had voted for the centrist party Democrats 66, based on its positions on education and health care. “I’m a bit scared, because of the fact that there are a lot of people who are interested by Wilders’s rhetoric,” she said. | Iris Groenendyk, 27, a child protection worker, said she had voted for the centrist party Democrats 66, based on its positions on education and health care. “I’m a bit scared, because of the fact that there are a lot of people who are interested by Wilders’s rhetoric,” she said. |
| Theo van Uden, 66, a human resources manager at a provincial Dutch court, said he was voting for the opposition Socialist Party, because income inequality was his main concern. | Theo van Uden, 66, a human resources manager at a provincial Dutch court, said he was voting for the opposition Socialist Party, because income inequality was his main concern. |
| “The last four years I would say that the politics have changed and it looks like populism is growing and growing, but my feeling is that we’re at the top of the hill with populism,” he said. “ I don’t think it’s going up more. I think it’s going down.” — NINA SIEGAL | “The last four years I would say that the politics have changed and it looks like populism is growing and growing, but my feeling is that we’re at the top of the hill with populism,” he said. “ I don’t think it’s going up more. I think it’s going down.” — NINA SIEGAL |
| King Willem-Alexander, as the head of state, is expected to invite the leader of the party that gets the most votes to begin consultations with other parties on forming a government, most likely on Friday. The process could take a few months, particularly if the vote is highly fragmented. Once a coalition is formed, the upper chamber of Parliament needs to sign off. Then the coalition names a cabinet, and the king swears in the ministers. In Belgium, which has a similar political system as the Netherlands, it famously took nearly a year and a half to form a government after inconclusive elections in June 2010. — MILAN SCHREUER | King Willem-Alexander, as the head of state, is expected to invite the leader of the party that gets the most votes to begin consultations with other parties on forming a government, most likely on Friday. The process could take a few months, particularly if the vote is highly fragmented. Once a coalition is formed, the upper chamber of Parliament needs to sign off. Then the coalition names a cabinet, and the king swears in the ministers. In Belgium, which has a similar political system as the Netherlands, it famously took nearly a year and a half to form a government after inconclusive elections in June 2010. — MILAN SCHREUER |
| After nearly three decades of using voting machines, the Dutch reverted in 2009 to paper ballots marked with red pencils. For this election, the government has tightened security further, after reports that Russian-associated hackers were trying to gain access to government computers late last year. | After nearly three decades of using voting machines, the Dutch reverted in 2009 to paper ballots marked with red pencils. For this election, the government has tightened security further, after reports that Russian-associated hackers were trying to gain access to government computers late last year. |
| In what the Dutch are calling the “four-eyes principle,” each vote will be counted and verified by two people at the polling station. Tallies will then be recorded by hand and initially sent by text message to the municipality. The ballots and tally sheets will then be physically delivered to municipal voting centers so that the counts can be double-checked and verified. | In what the Dutch are calling the “four-eyes principle,” each vote will be counted and verified by two people at the polling station. Tallies will then be recorded by hand and initially sent by text message to the municipality. The ballots and tally sheets will then be physically delivered to municipal voting centers so that the counts can be double-checked and verified. |
| The municipal centers are then responsible for reporting the results — via telephone, not email — to the ANP, the Dutch News Agency, so that initial results can be made public tonight. | The municipal centers are then responsible for reporting the results — via telephone, not email — to the ANP, the Dutch News Agency, so that initial results can be made public tonight. |
| However, verified results, including exactly which candidates the parties will send to Parliament, will not come until next week. — CHRISTOPHER F. SCHUETZE | However, verified results, including exactly which candidates the parties will send to Parliament, will not come until next week. — CHRISTOPHER F. SCHUETZE |
| There are 12.9 million eligible voters, out of a population of 17 million. Women have had the vote since 1922. The minimum age is 18; about 850,000 citizens will be old enough to vote for the first time. | There are 12.9 million eligible voters, out of a population of 17 million. Women have had the vote since 1922. The minimum age is 18; about 850,000 citizens will be old enough to vote for the first time. |
| Voting is by proportional representation. Voters choose one party’s list — there are 28 parties competing — and candidates from the list make it into Parliament based on their party’s share of the total vote. | Voting is by proportional representation. Voters choose one party’s list — there are 28 parties competing — and candidates from the list make it into Parliament based on their party’s share of the total vote. |
| Most voters live in the so-called Randstad, the densely populated urban agglomeration around Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague, but voting is nationwide; the seats do not represent geographic districts. | Most voters live in the so-called Randstad, the densely populated urban agglomeration around Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague, but voting is nationwide; the seats do not represent geographic districts. |
| Unlike Germany, where a party needs 5 percent of the vote to enter Parliament, there is no minimum threshold in the Netherlands. A party that gets 1/150th of the votes cast is guaranteed one of the 150 seats. | Unlike Germany, where a party needs 5 percent of the vote to enter Parliament, there is no minimum threshold in the Netherlands. A party that gets 1/150th of the votes cast is guaranteed one of the 150 seats. |
| In the last general election, in 2012, about three-quarters of eligible voters cast a ballot. — CHRISTOPHER F. SCHUETZE | In the last general election, in 2012, about three-quarters of eligible voters cast a ballot. — CHRISTOPHER F. SCHUETZE |
| In the picturesque heart of Mr. Wilders’s hometown Venlo, just across the border from northwest Germany, there did not appear to be a strong swell of support for him. | In the picturesque heart of Mr. Wilders’s hometown Venlo, just across the border from northwest Germany, there did not appear to be a strong swell of support for him. |
| “I share some opinions with him, but he shouldn’t be so radical,” said Paula Vanhegen, 64. “Otherwise we get a second Hitler and we don’t want that.” | “I share some opinions with him, but he shouldn’t be so radical,” said Paula Vanhegen, 64. “Otherwise we get a second Hitler and we don’t want that.” |
| Many younger and middle-aged residents seemed convinced that Mr. Wilders’s party wouldn’t even make it into second place. Stan Koolen, 19, an agribusiness student, said he was convinced Mr. Rutte’s party would win. | Many younger and middle-aged residents seemed convinced that Mr. Wilders’s party wouldn’t even make it into second place. Stan Koolen, 19, an agribusiness student, said he was convinced Mr. Rutte’s party would win. |
| For three working mothers sipping coffee in the old town square, TV and social media played a big part in helping them decide. | For three working mothers sipping coffee in the old town square, TV and social media played a big part in helping them decide. |
| “Life in the Netherlands is good,” said one of them, Miriam Swaghoven, 43, adding that Mr. Rutte had represented the country well for eight years. | “Life in the Netherlands is good,” said one of them, Miriam Swaghoven, 43, adding that Mr. Rutte had represented the country well for eight years. |
| But the longer conversation went on, the more the women expressed unhappiness with what they said was pressure on Dutch people to abandon traditions like the character “Black Pete.” Muslims and others “are allowed to have their traditions, while we have to change ours,” Ms. Swaghoven said. | But the longer conversation went on, the more the women expressed unhappiness with what they said was pressure on Dutch people to abandon traditions like the character “Black Pete.” Muslims and others “are allowed to have their traditions, while we have to change ours,” Ms. Swaghoven said. |
| Rohan Nagel, 20, a photography student, expressed frustration that governments had ignored anti-European Union votes in referendums in 2005, when the Dutch rejected a proposed European constitution, and last year, when they rejected a European Union deal with Ukraine. (Mr. Nagel planned to vote for the opposition Socialist Party, he said, because they had not “sold out” to Mr. Rutte.) | Rohan Nagel, 20, a photography student, expressed frustration that governments had ignored anti-European Union votes in referendums in 2005, when the Dutch rejected a proposed European constitution, and last year, when they rejected a European Union deal with Ukraine. (Mr. Nagel planned to vote for the opposition Socialist Party, he said, because they had not “sold out” to Mr. Rutte.) |
| Only one interviewee, Nadine Houwes, 20, a veterinary assistant, said she would not vote. All politicians “say something but are not doing it,” she shrugged. — ALISON SMALE | Only one interviewee, Nadine Houwes, 20, a veterinary assistant, said she would not vote. All politicians “say something but are not doing it,” she shrugged. — ALISON SMALE |
| Mr. Wilders is unique in that he has taken advantage of a loophole that allows him to lead a party with seats in Parliament even though, as a technical and legal matter, his “party” is an association, and is not covered by some of the Dutch and European Union law that pertains to political parties. | Mr. Wilders is unique in that he has taken advantage of a loophole that allows him to lead a party with seats in Parliament even though, as a technical and legal matter, his “party” is an association, and is not covered by some of the Dutch and European Union law that pertains to political parties. |
| For legal purposes, Mr. Wilders is the sole member of his Party for Freedom. Everyone else is part of the party’s association — the Dutch word “vereniging” — and are not required to pay dues. | For legal purposes, Mr. Wilders is the sole member of his Party for Freedom. Everyone else is part of the party’s association — the Dutch word “vereniging” — and are not required to pay dues. |
| There is no requirement in the Netherlands that candidates on the party lists for which citizens cast votes need to be party members. But every other party in the Dutch Parliament is organized along traditional lines, with members paying dues. | There is no requirement in the Netherlands that candidates on the party lists for which citizens cast votes need to be party members. But every other party in the Dutch Parliament is organized along traditional lines, with members paying dues. |
| By having an association rather than a party, experts say, Mr. Wilders retains control over the party’s platforms and is able to keep much of his financing secret, because under Dutch law, the head of the party must report all income and expenditures to party members, and he is the only one. (Only larger sums — expenditures over 4,500 euros, or about $4,780, and debts over 25,000 euros, or about $26,500 — need to be disclosed to the government.) | By having an association rather than a party, experts say, Mr. Wilders retains control over the party’s platforms and is able to keep much of his financing secret, because under Dutch law, the head of the party must report all income and expenditures to party members, and he is the only one. (Only larger sums — expenditures over 4,500 euros, or about $4,780, and debts over 25,000 euros, or about $26,500 — need to be disclosed to the government.) |
| The downside is that he is ineligible for government subsidies available to parties with more than 1,000 members. — ALISSA J. RUBIN | The downside is that he is ineligible for government subsidies available to parties with more than 1,000 members. — ALISSA J. RUBIN |