AMSTERDAM – The Dutch Liberals (VVD) have taken the lead in two new polls ahead of June 9th parliamentary elections, the first time they have led an electoral poll since losing government and the first sign that the Labour Party (PvdA) may not cruise to victory.
The government fell on February 20th in a dispute over the future of the Dutch mission in Afghanistan.
The TNS-NIPO poll put the Liberals on 30 seats, compared with 29 for the Labour Party and 22 for the Christian Democrats of prime minister Jan Peter Balkenende.
The firm said it was the first time since December 2001 that the VVD had led a poll. In recent weeks the party has been closing in on Labour, which itself took a commanding lead in mid-March.
The Maurice de Hond poll, also released yesterday, put the Liberals on 34 seats, Labour on 32 and the Christian Democrats on 26. It was the 10th De Hond poll in which the Liberals gained seats.
The political landscape changed on March 12th, when Labour leader Wouter Bos stepped down in favour of the then-mayor of Amsterdam, Job Cohen. In preference polls for prime minister at the time, Cohen drew about three times the support of his nearest rivals, including Balkenende.
That translated into a surge that had Labour 10 seats ahead in some polling. But the VVD has narrowed that gap , driven by support for its budget-cutting plan. – (Reuters)