NETHERLANDS Election
Dutch parties make Europe a central theme in bid for votes
By Toby Vogel - 06.09.2012 / 05:49 CET
Eurozone apprehensive as election looms.
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Three national diplomats and three EU officials to represent Union abroad. |
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Commission and Parliament officials may also take action. |
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A round-up of the international press on Thursday, 9 May. |
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Fact file
OPINION POLLS
For most of August, opinion polls have put the left-wing Socialists (SP) a close second to the governing centre-right Liberals (VVD) of Prime Minister Mark Rutte. But the Socialists have suffered from the weak performance in public debates of Emile Roemer, their leader. At the same time, the centre-left Labour Party (PvdA) has been steadily gaining ground in opinion polls, buoyed by a strong campaign performance from Diederik Samsom, its leader.
A poll published on Tuesday (4 September) for the first time put the PvdA within a couple of seats of the Socialists, with 26 seats in the 150-seat parliament to the SP's 28. A month earlier, the Socialists were projected to win 37 seats, with a 20-seat lead over the PvdA. Labour's fortunes zig-zagged throughout August, but the party came consistently behind the Socialists.
A strong showing from Labour would increase the likelihood of a broad, centrist coalition between Rutte's VVD and the PvdA.
However, a large number of likely voters are still undecided.
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