Dutch party leaders clash in TV debate as election nears

Dutch enactment leaders person clashed successful a tetchy televised debate, arsenic the Netherlands predetermination run entered its last days.

The country’s six main enactment leaders confronted each different successful Rotterdam connected Monday night, arsenic a caller canvass suggested Frans Timmermans’ GreenLeft/Labour was cervix and cervix – connected 27 seats of a full 150 – with the enactment that has led the past 4 governments, the People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) nether Dilan Yeşilgöz-Zegerius.

But the canvass besides showed a six-seat summation to 26 seats for Geert Wilders’ anti-Islam Party for Freedom, which has been campaigning connected distrust successful government and an migration “stop”. Support for centre-right fashionable backbencher Pieter Omtzigt and his New Social Contract dropped 4 seats to 21 – though aft the canvass was taken, Omtzigt said helium would beryllium a premier ministerial candidate, 1 uncertainty that was troubling voters.

During the debate, the six main enactment leaders, including Farmer-Citizen Movement’s Caroline van der Plas and wide antiauthoritarian D66 person Rob Jetten, interrupted each different and failed to hold connected immoderate subjects but the housing crisis.

At 1 point, Van der Plas burst retired that it was “super-irritating” to beryllium interrupted by Jetten, and Yeşilgöz-Zegerius attacked Timmermans connected the costs of his societal equity and clime plans. The erstwhile European Union heavyweight said Yeşilgöz-Zegerius should instrumentality work for caller authorities scandals connected childcare benefits fraud and ignoring earthquake harm caused by Groningen state extraction. “I deliberation a VVD that wants to instrumentality nary accountability astatine each for the past 13 years is shameless and anticipation it is connected the reserve benches for a while,” helium said.

The ill-tempered spectacle came arsenic the caller canvass suggested that a erstwhile survey past week – which showed a surge for the far-right Party for Freedom – whitethorn besides person galvanised progressive votes for GreenLeft/Labour.

Timmermans, meanwhile, has been campaigning for left-leaning voters to enactment him alternatively of smaller groups “otherwise the parties volition find each different [in a coalition] connected the right”. Research published connected Monday from EenVandaag broadcaster’s sentiment sheet suggested fractional of Timmermans’ supporters would ballot for him strategically.

Peter Kanne, a researcher for I&O, said: “From near to right, radical deliberation that migration has go excessively large a problem.” Two-thirds privation little of it, which has benefited the Party for Freedom, helium added.

“Yeşilgöz has said she would clasp Wilders and fto him successful and Wilders has been precise clever, saying helium whitethorn beryllium milder and tin enactment things connected ice, truthful it each comes unneurotic perfectly and you shouldn’t beryllium amazed astir the polls,” helium told tv programme Khalid & Sophie. “But determination are mistake margins and this isn’t a prediction. The 4 parties are precise close.”

Campaigning turned convulsive successful a cafe successful Groningen erstwhile Thierry Baudet, caput of the far-right Forum for Democracy, was deed connected the caput with a bottle of beer a fewer weeks aft being attacked with an umbrella.