Dutch far-right anti-immigration populist Geert Wilders is in the clear lead in parliamentary elections, an exit poll has shown.
Mr Wilders, an anti-Islam, anti-EU politician, has vowed to stop all immigration to the Netherlands.
The Ipsos poll put his Freedom party (PVV) at 35 out of 150 seats, nine seats ahead of the closest rival, Frans Timmermans’ Labour/Green Left combination.
The party of outgoing prime minister Mark Rutte, the conservative VVD, was in third place at 23 seats, the exit poll showed.
Four political parties from the left to the far-right PVV are competing to secure a leading position in the Dutch parliament.
Immigration – the issue that triggered the collapse of Rutte’s last cabinet after 13 years in power – has been a key issue in the campaign.
Mr Rutte was the country’s longest-serving prime minister, but has faced a decline in his popularity and promised not to seek re-election.
If confirmed when votes are counted, a Wilders victory would send a seismic shock through European politics. His election programme calls for a referendum on the Netherlands leaving the European Union, a total halt to accepting asylum-seekers and migrant pushbacks at the Dutch borders.
Sometimes called the Dutch Donald Trump, the populist with dyed blonde hair said in a television debate during the election campaign: “It’s been enough now. The Netherlands can’t take it any more. We have to think about our own people first now. Borders closed. Zero asylum seekers.”
A self-proclaimed fan of Hungary’s far-right Victor Orban, Mr Wilders is also explicitly anti-EU, urging the Netherlands to significantly reduce its payments to the bloc, and to stop the entry of any new members.
He has also repeatedly said the country should stop providing arms to Ukraine, saying it needs the weapons to be able to defend itself.
However, none of the parties he could potentially form a government with shares these ideas.
A strong showing for Mr Wilders could lead the Netherlands to a hard-right coalition, even though he has been seeking to soften his image in the hope of entering government, which some voters said they liked.
He said recently that opposing Islam remains at his party’s core but concerns over the cost of living, improving care for the elderly and limiting immigration are what he focuses on now.
His enduring popularity since he created PVV in 2006 has pushed ruling parties over the years to give the Netherlands one of Europe’s toughest immigration policies.
Abroad, his comments about the prophet Mohammed and calls for the Quran to be banned led to sometimes violent protests in countries including Pakistan, Indonesia and Egypt. He was convicted of discrimination after insulting Moroccans at a campaign rally in 2014.
Death threats against him mean he has lived under heavy police protection for years.