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| Dutch to vote in tight election | Dutch to vote in tight election |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| Dutch voters are preparing to the polls in tight elections that could lead to weeks of political manoeuvering before a new coalition takes office. | |
| Opinion polls suggest Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende's Christian Democrats will emerge as the strongest party to lead the next cabinet. | |
| But the opposition Labour Party has been narrowing the gap. | |
| A significant number of voters seem even now to be undecided, meaning the election might throw up some surprises. | A significant number of voters seem even now to be undecided, meaning the election might throw up some surprises. |
| Some experts also point to the opposition Socialist Party's rise in the polls as evidence that people now believe a left-wing coalition could pose a real challenge to the centre-right coalition of the Christian Democrats (CDA) and liberals (VVD). | |
| Neither right nor left blocs are expected to win the 76 seats to secure a majority in the 150-strong lower house of parliament. | Neither right nor left blocs are expected to win the 76 seats to secure a majority in the 150-strong lower house of parliament. |
| So there could be protracted negotiations to form a coalition cabinet, experts predict. | So there could be protracted negotiations to form a coalition cabinet, experts predict. |
| Changing mood | Changing mood |
| In its election campaign, the CDA has been claiming credit for a strong economic recovery in the country the last few years, and appears to have been rewarded, the BBC's Sam Wilson in Amsterdam says. | In its election campaign, the CDA has been claiming credit for a strong economic recovery in the country the last few years, and appears to have been rewarded, the BBC's Sam Wilson in Amsterdam says. |
| The Labour leader has not ruled out a grand coalition | The Labour leader has not ruled out a grand coalition |
| This marks a remarkable political turnaround for the party that suffered a big defeat at the hands of the Labour Party in the March local elections, our correspondent says. | This marks a remarkable political turnaround for the party that suffered a big defeat at the hands of the Labour Party in the March local elections, our correspondent says. |
| Labour leader Wouter Bos hopes his party will be able to successfully challenge the CDA or at least force its way into a so-called grand coalition. However, polls suggest that many left-wing voters dissatisfied with the government's spending cuts seem ready to turn to the Socialist Party, rather than Labour, whom they believe sound too willing to jump into a coalition bed with the CDA, our correspondent adds. | |
| The CDA-led government coalition collapsed in June after a row over its handling of the disputed citizenship of a Somali-born Dutch politician. | The CDA-led government coalition collapsed in June after a row over its handling of the disputed citizenship of a Somali-born Dutch politician. |
| The immigration issue has gripped Dutch politics since the high-profile murders of two prominent campaigners against Muslim extremism - independent politician Pim Fortuyn and film-maker Theo van Gogh. | The immigration issue has gripped Dutch politics since the high-profile murders of two prominent campaigners against Muslim extremism - independent politician Pim Fortuyn and film-maker Theo van Gogh. |
| The main parties have embraced pro-integration policies - a departure from the Dutch tradition of multiculturalism. | The main parties have embraced pro-integration policies - a departure from the Dutch tradition of multiculturalism. |