The Hague: Dutch voters punished the ruling Liberal-Labour coalition in local elections for introducing a number of unpopular deficit-busting measures, final results showed on Thursday.
Instead, voters in the country of 16.8 million preferred the centrist pro-Europe D66 and local parties.
Collated results showed junior coalition partner Labour (PvdA) being hammered, losing its grip on the three largest Dutch cities including its traditional stronghold, Amsterdam.
"The PvdA has lost touch with its supporters... and did not have the right people in the right places ahead of the vote," former PvdA politician Rob Oudkerk told the NOS public broadcaster.
Labour, which formed a ruling coalition with Prime Minister Mark Rutte`s People`s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) after September 2012 polls, is often accused by supporters of compromising its own leftist principles in favour of the VVD`s liberal, business-friendly approach.
Labour lost control of Amsterdam for the first time in over 60 years, to D66 -- which also garnered the most votes in key cities The Hague and Utrecht.
In the port of Rotterdam, the PvdA lost its lead to local populist party Leefbaar Rotterdam (Livable Rotterdam), which advocates stronger law enforcement and anti-immigrant policies.
Rutte`s VVD also lost out, with its support dropping from 15.5 percent to 12.4 percent in cities and towns across the nation.
"Voters are turning to D66 (centrist) and small local parties because they`re unhappy with austerity measures and tax hikes," said analyst Andre Krouwels.
Populist leader Wilders` PVV candidates stood in two cities, seeking a morale boost ahead of May`s European Parliament elections.
The PVV won in Almere, east of Amsterdam, where television pictures showed the anti-immigration Wilders asking his supporters: "Do you want fewer or more Moroccans in your city and in the Netherlands?"
"Fewer! Fewer!," the crowd shouted, with a smiling Wilders answering: "We`re going to organise that."
Wilders told people he was allowed to asked the question because it fell under freedom of speech "and we have said nothing we`re not allowed to".
Wilders, often reviled among immigrant communities for his fiery anti-Islam rhetoric and verbal attacks on eastern Europeans, was in 2011 acquitted on hate speech charges by a Dutch court.
