THE HAGUE, Netherlands, June 10 (UPI) -- The Netherlands faces months of tough coalition talks after voters punished the government, helped no single party to a clear majority but gave an unwanted far-right group a surge in support.
On Thursday, Dutch voters woke up to a political deadlock after the parliamentary elections.
The Liberal Party, which campaigned for budget austerity in times of an economic crisis, won 31 seats in the 150-seat Second Chamber, near-final results indicated, closely followed by the center-left Labor Party led by former Amsterdam Mayor Job Cohen, which won 30 seats.
Support for the government Christian Democrats, led by Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende, dropped from 41 seats to 21 seats. Balkenende Wednesday evening announced his resignation from all political posts.
Only one man was beaming after first election results trickled in: The white-haired Geert Wilders. His Freedom Party, which aims to stop immigration from Muslims and fine women who wear full facial veils, won 24 seats -- its best election result ever -- trumping even the Christian Democrats of Balkenende.
Wilders said his party was the election's "biggest winner."
"The Netherlands chose more security, less crime, less immigration and less Islam," he said on Dutch television.
While the 1-seat advantage could hand Liberal leader Mark Rutte, 43, a first shot at forming a government coalition and grabbing the post as prime minister, the split results could mean that coalition talks will last well into autumn.
This could delay economic reforms and austerity measures to reduce the country's projected deficit of 6.6 percent of gross domestic product this year. Unlike big neighbor Germany, the Netherlands, due to the recent political instability in the country, hasn't yet unveiled an austerity package.
The election was called in February after the collapse of Balkenende's government over Afghanistan. Twelve Cabinet members from the Labor Party resigned because they refused to endorse the extension of the country's military mission in Afghanistan.
Pre-election polls had clearly favored the Liberals and not indicated such a strong performance by Wilders' party. The campaign had focused mainly on the economic crisis but results indicate that immigration may have played a bigger role than expected.
Wilders has always said that Islam is the biggest threat facing his country. Besides the veil fine, he wants to stop the construction of new mosques and Muslims from immigrating into the traditional multi-ethnic Dutch society.
Islam has been a contentious issue in Dutch political and public life in recent years. Theo van Gogh was stabbed to death in 2004 after he had made a documentary critical of Islam. Two years earlier, anti-immigration campaigner Pim Fortuyn had been assassinated.
