Knife-edge election as Dutch set to vote for first new leader in 13 years

“Anyone who knows who will win this election is lying,” said political scientist Julia Wouters. “Anything and everything can still happen.”

Transcript

00:00 Polls are open in the Dutch election.

00:02 And even though people are still voting for their 150 members

00:06 of parliament, one thing's for sure.

00:09 They will have a new prime minister

00:11 for the first time in 13 years.

00:13 Former Prime Minister Mark Root is on the way out.

00:17 Polls show four parties are neck and neck going

00:19 into today's election, including Gert Wilders' far right party

00:23 for freedom.

00:24 Wilders' party for freedom is slightly ahead

00:27 of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy.

00:30 If Wilders' party succeeds, it could mean a woman.

00:33 The current justice and security minister

00:35 takes the top office for the first time.

00:38 She's the first liberal politician

00:40 to admit that she could form a coalition with the far right.

00:44 There's also a heavyweight candidate

00:46 on the left side of the political scene.

00:48 That's Frans Timmermans, the former EU climate commissioner.

00:51 He gave up his international career to return to politics.

00:55 The election results are expected later tonight.

00:58 (cymbal crash)