Amsterdam, 22 November 2023 (dpa/MIA) - Around 13.3 million Dutch citizens are called upon to elect a new parliament on Wednesday as polls suggest a tight race.

Right-wing liberal governing party People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) is neck and neck with right-wing populist Geert Wilders' Party for Freedom (PVV) and the red-green electoral alliance of Social Democrats and Greens.

The VVD's top candidate Dilan Yesilgöz is aiming to succeed her party colleague Mark Rutte and become the first woman to head the government.

No party can achieve an absolute majority. According to the polls, a coalition of at least three parties is likely to be necessary for a majority.

According to an overview of the polls published on Tuesday, the three leading parties could each gain between 16 and 18% of the vote.

The PVV has never been part of a governing coalition since it was founded in 2006. Wilders' anti-Islam party made a significant leap forward in the polls after the right-wing liberal VVD said that it was not ruling out a coalition with him this time.

Opposition parties accuse the VVD of having made Wilders socially acceptable.

The alliance of the Social Democratic and Green parties, whose lead candidate is the former EU commissioner for climate, Frans Timmermans, has also made significant gains in the latest polls.

The early general election was called after Prime Minister Mark Rutte's centre-right coalition collapsed in the summer over a conflict about migration policy. Rutte then announced that he would leave national politics. He has been prime minister for around 13 years and will remain in office until a successor is elected.

Photo: MIA archive