Dutch Far-Right Party Claims 1st Runner-up EP Elections Ranking

The Dutch far-right Freedom Party (PVV) won second place at the European Parliament (EP) elections with four MEPs in the future Parliament.

15% of all voters cast their ballot for Geert Wilders' party, a far right-wing politician, fervent critic of Islam, opponent of Bulgaria's and Romania's EU accession and adversary of Turkey's possible future EU membership.

The Christian Democrats of Prime Minister, Jan Peter Balkenende, came first with 5 MEP seats and a little bit under 20% of the vote - 5% less than the previous EP elections.

Exit polls in the Netherlands show a voter turnout of 36,5%, down from 39,2% in the last European election in 2004.

The Netherlands will have a total of 25 MEPs in the future EP. The country, however, faces sanctions from the EU over the premature release of the elections' results. Results are not supposed to be announced until polls close across Europe on Sunday night.

Meanwhile in the UK, Prime Minister Gordon Brown is trying to salvage his government as three ministers quit in just 24 hours. According to unofficial results, the European elections are expected to be bad for the Labor party.

Brown admitted Labor had suffered "a painful defeat" in Thursday's polls but added: "I will not waver. I will not walk away. I will get on with the job."

A total of 375 M EU citizens in 27 Member States have the right to cast their vote for the 736 future MEPs.

The UK and the Netherlands voted Thursday, while Ireland went to the polles Friday. Latvia, Cyprus, Malta and Slovakia vote on Saturday: the Czech Republic and Italy vote over Friday and Saturday, and Saturday and Sunday respectively.

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden are voting Sunday.