Surge for Dutch anti-Islam Freedom Party

It is Probably a safe bet that Muslims within the netherlands Will soon be facing a lot more Bans than they ever have .


Mr Wilders has campaigned to stop the "Islamisation of the Netherlands".

He wants the Koran banned, and has suggested a tax on headscarves worn by Muslim women.




BBC
A Dutch anti-Islam party has more than doubled its seats in parliament in a national vote, though it is unclear if it will take part in a coalition.

Freedom Party leader Geert Wilders said he wanted to be part of government.

The election saw the centre-right Liberal Party (VVD) emerging as the largest party, one seat ahead of the centre-left Labour Party.

The Christian Democrat party of outgoing Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende suffered a big defeat.

Weeks of coalition negotiations are expected to follow the election.

With more than 99% of votes counted, the VVD had 31 of 150 seats, while Labour had 30.

As the party with the most seats, VVD leader Mark Rutte could now become the first prime minister from his political camp since World War I.
Headscarf tax

The unexpected big winner was the anti-Islam Freedom Party, the PVV, which took its number of seats from nine in the last parliament to 24 - its best-ever finish.

The campaign had been dominated by a debate over the economy, which was thought to have eclipsed immigration as an election issue.

Many would not view the Freedom Party as an acceptable partner in a coalition.

Its leader, Geert Wilders, faces a criminal trial later this year on charges of inciting hatred and discrimination with his anti-Islamic film Fitna.

It is expected that the most likely coalition would be a left-right combination, known as a Purple Coalition - with the Liberals, Labour, and the smaller Green Left and Liberal Democrats.

But coalition talks can take weeks.

But the strong showing for the Freedom Party, led by the controversial Geert Wilders, is a sign that immigration was still a powerful theme, correspondents say.

Mr Wilders has campaigned to stop the "Islamisation of the Netherlands".

He wants the Koran banned, and has suggested a tax on headscarves worn by Muslim women.

"Nobody in The Hague can bypass the PVV anymore," he said on Thursday, AFP news agency reported. "We want to be part of the new government."