Turnout at 126%: Why one Dutch island has more voters than residents
Illustrative photo: Parliamentary elections are taking place in the Netherlands on October 29 (Getty Images)
Voter turnout in the Dutch parliamentary elections on the island of Schiermonnikoog reached 126%, according to the Frisian provincial outlet Omrop Fryslân.
On the Dutch island of Schiermonnikoog, voter turnout in the early parliamentary elections exceeded 100% by 3 PM local time.
By the time polling stations closed at 9 PM local time, turnout had reached 126%.
Schiermonnikoog, part of the West Frisian Islands, is the smallest inhabited island in the Netherlands, with fewer than 1,000 permanent residents.
The island is a popular tourist destination. Under local legislation, tourists are allowed to vote outside their place of registration, and some other categories of citizens may cast ballots through special "temporary voting" forms.
Parliamentary elections in Netherlands
As earlier reported by RBC-Ukraine, parliamentary elections were held on October 29 in the Netherlands. These were snap elections.
On June 3, Geert Wilders, leader of the far-right Party for Freedom (PVV), announced his party’s withdrawal from the ruling coalition over disagreements on the government’s immigration and asylum policies.
Polling stations closed at 9 PM local time, after which vote counting began.
According to a poll by Ipsos, the liberal D66 party is leading, followed by the far-right PVV, with the liberal-conservative VVD rounding out the top three.
