Dutch govt likely to lose majority in Senate exit-polls

The Dutch governing coalition will lose its majority in the senate as a result of provincial elections in which a far right populist party booked major gains, according to an exit poll commissioned by national broadcaster NOS.

The vote came just two days after a Turkish-born man was arrested on suspicion of shooting three people dead in the central city of Utrecht, in an attack that may have given the anti-immigration Forum for Democracy party a boost.

If the projection conducted by polling firm Ipsos is accurate, Prime Minister Mark Rutte's centre-right governing coalition will need to seek support from additional parties to pass legislation.