Rutte Set to Lose Dutch Senate Majority Amid Populist Push

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Mark RuttePhotographer: BART MAAT/AFP/Getty Images
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The bulwark that Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte built against populists is showing cracks, with his governing coalition poised to lose its one-seat majority in the Senate in the face of expected strong showings from euroskeptic groups.

When the Dutch go to the polls on Wednesday, Rutte’s four-party coalition -- comprised of his liberal VVD, the Christian democratic CDA, the centrist D66 and the smaller Christian Union -- may win just 28 seats in the 75-member Senate, down from 38, according to a Peilingwijzer aggregate poll published on Tuesday evening.