European election upset for Geert Wilders as Dutch turn cold on anti-EU party

Geert Wilders came fourth in European elections in the Netherlands on Thursday night, confounding predictions that he would lead a populist and far-Right backlash against the European Union across the continent.
Dutch exit polls put the far-Right and anti-Islam leader on 12.2 per cent of the vote, putting him behind all the pro-EU mainstream political parties.
'Definitive' exit polls put him behind the ruling centrist VVD on 12.3 per cent and almost three per cent behind the pro-EU D66 liberals and Christian Democrats, each on over 15 per cent.
Previous opinion polls had put Mr Wilders in the lead but there was widespread controversy over his alliance with the France’s Front National and the exit polls suggested that his share of the vote fell, compared with 2009, by 4.8 percentage points.
The result is a major blow to Mr Wilders who will lose two seats in the European Parliament with his MEPs now reduced to three out a total of 26 Dutch representatives.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/netherlands/10850610/European-election-upset-for-Geert-Wilders-as-Dutch-turn-cold-on-anti-EU-party.html

    

Sassy wrote:    

That is one of the holy far right group alliance fallen by the way side, lets see who is next.

   

Strange to get the results of the EU elections before most of the countries involved have even voted. I thought that was illegal. So where's this poll come from? Is it official? Doubt it.

Tesstacious wrote:Strange to get the results of the EU elections before most of the countries involved have even voted.  I thought that was illegal.  So where's this poll come from?  Is it official?  Doubt it.

Eh?


'Definitive' exit polls put him behind the ruling centrist VVD on 12.3 per cent and almost three per cent behind the pro-EU D66 liberals and Christian Democrats, each on over 15 per cent.

Didge wrote:

Tesstacious wrote:Strange to get the results of the EU elections before most of the countries involved have even voted.  I thought that was illegal.  So where's this poll come from?  Is it official?  Doubt it.

Eh?


'Definitive' exit polls put him behind the ruling centrist VVD on 12.3 per cent and almost three per cent behind the pro-EU D66 liberals and Christian Democrats, each on over 15 per cent.

Sorry I should re-phrase that...

Strange to get the results exit polls of the EU elections before most of the countries involved have even voted. I thought that exit polls in the EU elections were illegal. So where's this poll come from? Is it official? Doubt it.

That's why there were no exit polls on our elections - because, like Eurovision, if you know the results before everyone's voted it'll effect how the rest vote. Ain't rocket science!

Tesstacious wrote:

Didge wrote:


Eh?


'Definitive' exit polls put him behind the ruling centrist VVD on 12.3 per cent and almost three per cent behind the pro-EU D66 liberals and Christian Democrats, each on over 15 per cent.

Sorry I should re-phrase that...

Strange to get the results exit polls of the EU elections before most of the countries involved have even voted.  I thought that exit polls in the EU elections were illegal.  So where's this poll come from?  Is it official?  Doubt it.

That's why there were no exit polls on our elections - because, like Eurovision, if you know the results before everyone's voted it'll effect how the rest vote.  Ain't rocket science!

It is illegal before the polls have closed, not after.

Didge wrote:

Tesstacious wrote:

Sorry I should re-phrase that...

Strange to get the results exit polls of the EU elections before most of the countries involved have even voted.  I thought that exit polls in the EU elections were illegal.  So where's this poll come from?  Is it official?  Doubt it.

That's why there were no exit polls on our elections - because, like Eurovision, if you know the results before everyone's voted it'll effect how the rest vote.  Ain't rocket science!

It is illegal before the polls have closed, not after.

No - (dare I say it?) - you're wrong! The polls on the EU elections don't close until Sunday night, and it's illegal to post results of exit polls before then. FFS they've said it enough times on the news.

To be honest Tess I have no idea as I am confused after looking up myself, but it is all over the news this exit poll, in every main media.

The preliminary exit polls were released when voting closed in the Netherlands at 9pm local time.
Unlike Britain, which keeps all exit polls under wraps until Sunday night, the Netherlands has constitutional requirements that mean polling surveys are published immediately.


There, that is why Tess, but I must admit I thought for a minute your point held true for all EU nations

Didge wrote:The preliminary exit polls were released when voting closed in the Netherlands at 9pm local time.
Unlike Britain, which keeps all exit polls under wraps until Sunday night, the Netherlands has constitutional requirements that mean polling surveys are published immediately.


There, that is why Tess, but I must admit I thought for a minute your point held true for all EU nations

Just checked the situation with a Dutch poster on GLP. Seems they got round the law:

"We only voted for the european parliament. We are not allowed to publish 'official' results untill sunday, but users from a dutch website found a legal loophole in the law so we could count and publish the results 'privately' with statistical certainty! Viviane Reding complained but was told to sod off because it is legal! Too bad your country didn't do the same. Unfortunately it's only in dutch, but this is how we did it http://www.geenstijl.nl/eu2014/ and results on http://www.geenstijl.nl/"