HOLLAND: Dutch prime minister Jan Peter Balkenende looks set to win a close election today following a turnaround in fortunes for his Christian Democrat (CDA) party.
When he called the election in June following the collapse of his centre right coalition over its handling of the disputed citizenship of Somali-born politician Ayaan Hirsi Ali, the CDA trailed the Labour party.
But a recovering economy and a strong campaign against the charismatic Labour leader Wouter Bos now puts the CDA on 41 seats out of a possible 150 to 36 for Labour in recent polls.
"The personality factor has played a part with Balkenende," said Paul Scheffer, sociology professor at Amsterdam University, who added the CDA and Labour could form a grand coalition depending on election results.
Pollsters remained unsure how recent controversies such as a plan to ban the burka and a prisoner abuse scandal by Dutch troops in Iraq would play.
The left wing Socialist Party led by Jan Marijnissen looks likely to be a big winner. The four far-right parties campaigning against immigration have attracted little support. The Party for Animals, promoting "biological" farming, may take one or two seats.