By Ruona Agbroko
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Mark Rutte. Photo Reuters
By Matthew Steinglass in Amsterdam
Wednesday’s Dutch election overturned myriad assumptions, as voters turned en masse towards the two large centrist parties that have backed eurozone rescue measures and abandoned the fringe anti-European parties that had been expected to win big.
Rather than punishing Liberal prime minister Mark Rutte for signing up to bailout packages for Greece and Spain and to the European emergency fund, right-wing voters re-elected him with 27 per cent of the vote, by far the party’s largest share ever. Read more
The centre holds in Europe
The results of the Dutch elections cap off a good week for the euro. First, the ECB promises potentially “unlimited” bond purchases. Then the German constitutional court rules that the EU bail-out funds are legal. Finally, Dutch voters defy predictions that they will swing behind radical Eurosceptic parties. Instead there is a strong showing for two mainstream, pro-euro parties – the governing Liberals (VVD) and Labour. Read more
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