Voters head to the polls in decisive Dutch elections

AMSTERDAM. KAZINFORM Polling stations in the Netherlands opened their doors to some 12.6 million eligible voters on Wednesday, kicking off a Dutch general election which is regarded as an indicator of wider political trends across Europe, Kazinform has learnt from EFE.

More than 10,000 polling stations across the nation would operate between 7:30 am and 9:00 pm local time and provisional results were expected to be announced shortly after voting centers closed.

The Dutch government has opted for a manual vote count to ward off possible Russian interference in the elections.

Some 28 political parties were competing in the election, while the Dutch Party for Freedom (PVV) of far-right Geert Wilders and the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) of Prime Minister Mark Rutte were pitted against each other as the two most prominent parties, according to voting intention polls.

However, it is unusual for a winner to gain sufficient votes in order to be able to govern alone as the nature of the Dutch electoral system, by district and open list, normally requires the formation of a coalition government comprising various parties.

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