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The anti-Islam leader of the Dutch far-right Party for Freedom (PVV) had been riding high on a wave of populism and looked on course to win. But blonde populist Geert Wilders has now lost his clear lead in the polls, putting him behind the current Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Dutch election day. Mr Rutte's People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) has moved further into the lead in recent days after the Government took a tough stance on Turkey. Mr Wilders remains defiant even though his party has slipped in the polls, with two shock of the most recent polls putting him in third and fourth place.

Getty Geert Wilders is the leader of the anti-Islam Party for Freedom (PVV)

One poll, from I&O Research, puts the PVV behind the centrist D66, the Greens, the VVD and the Christian Democrats. The survey showed that the PVV had dropped to just 16 seats in the 150-member parliament but VVD is now on track to get 29 seats. Another poll, from Ipsos, put the PVV in third place, behind the Christian Democrats and the VVD. The Dutch Polling Indicator, which combines Dutch polls, also shows that the VVD was in the lead before the election today. Its latest poll average put the VVD at 17 per cent, three percentage points ahead of the PVV at 14 per cent. DUTCH ELECTION POLLS LIVE

Netherlands: I&O Reseach poll: collapse of Wilders' far-right PVV (ENF) one day ahead of election back to 2012 level: 10%. #DutchElections pic.twitter.com/pCyujJVWz2 — Europe Elects (@EuropeElects) March 14, 2017

Peilingwijzer This is the latest prediction from the Dutch Poll Indicator

Piel.nl This is the latest weekly poll ahead of the Dutch election on Wednesday

Mr Wilders' election would be the latest blow for Europe’s liberal order in the wake of the Donald Trump’s victory and the Brexit vote. He has pledged to close the Netherlands’ borders, shut down mosques and leave the euro and EU if he gets into power. A Peil.nl weekly poll in early March predicted that the PVV would win 25 seats, just one seat more than Mr Rutte's VVD. But the latest poll, from Peil.nl, found that the VVD has now overtaken the PVV, which is only expected to win 22 seats. In January Rem Korteweg, senior research fellow at the Centre for European Reform (CER), said he believed that there was an 80 per cent chance that the Mr Wilders would win.

At the time, he said: “We have to take the polls with a grain of salt, but Wilders has really been able to create a significant lead over the past two months.” But Mr Korteweg said Mr Wilders would still not become Prime Minister because the other Dutch parties are not willing to form a coalition with him. He added: “The result of that is going to be a political mess after the election. Wilders will claim that he has the will of the people. “But there are very few - if any parties - that will go into Parliament with him.” Dutch Prime Minister Mr Rutte ruled out a coalition between the VVD and the PVV.

Dutch firebrand politician Geert Wilders Wed, February 8, 2017 Known as the 'Dutch Donald Trump' Play slideshow AFP/Getty Images 1 of 13 Originally from Venlo in the south-eastern Netherlands, Mr Wilders moved to Israel in 1981 after graduating from secondary school.

Mr Korteweg warned that Mr Wilders’ victory could lead to a long drawn-out coalition process, eventually resulting an unstable coalition. “It creates a political problem because the alternative coalition will in all likelihood include no less than five parties,” he said. He said that it is not inconceivable that the coalition could fall apart soon after, sparking fresh elections in the Netherlands. Mr Wilders’ anti-Islam and Eurosceptic rhetoric is resonating with Dutch voters due to the migrant crisis, the terror threat in Europe and ongoing eurozone woes. WHAT HAPPENS IF GEERT WILDERS WINS?

Getty Geert Wilders cuts a star, supposedly representing his country, from an European flag in 2014

Piel.nl The weekly poll from late February showed the PVV was set to win 29 seats, four more than the VVD

Mr Korteweg said: “He runs on an anti-establishment ticket but he’s actually as establishment as Dutch politicians come. “He’s adept and comfortable at making the anti-establishment point because he has been making it for the last 15 years.” Mr Rutte has also faced criticism for his handling of a referendum in which the Dutch voters rejected a EU pact with Ukraine in April 2016. Meanwhile, support for the Labour Party (PvdA) has collapsed after governing in coalition with the VVD since 2012. Other key political parties are the green party GroenLinks, Democrats 66 (D66), the Socialist Party (SP) and 50PLUS, which represents pensioners’ interests. WHEN IS THE DUTCH ELECTION?