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The defeat of the anti-Islamist Dutch politician to centre-right prime minister Mark Rutte averted another political earthquake after Brexit and Donald Trump’s momentous US election victory. However Front National leader Marine Le Pen, who is preparing for elections in France this spring, highlighted Mr Rutte had actually made losses. And despite a defeat, Mr Wilders Party for Freedom (PVV) gained more seats since the 2012 election and is now poised to become the second biggest party in the Netherlands.

GETTY Marine Le Pen has hailed Geert Wilder's success as positive

Things you didn't know about Marine Le Pen Fri, May 5, 2017 Marine Le Pen is a French politician who is the president of the National Front, a national-conservative political party in France and one of its main political forces. Play slideshow AFP/Getty Images 1 of 10 Described as more democratic and republican than her nationalist father, she has led a movement of "de-demonization of the Front National" to detoxify it and soften its image

GETTY Mark Rutte won the Dutch elections

I would have been disappointed if he had slipped or stagnated, but he has risen and the parties in power have fallen heavily Marine Le Pen

She said: “I would have been disappointed if he had slipped or stagnated, but he has risen and the parties in power have fallen heavily. “For Wilders this is extremely positive, which is the proof of the reach of our joint ideas in the different European countries.” With about 95 per cent of votes counted, Mr Rutte's VVD Party won 33 of parliament's 150 seats, down from 41 at the last vote in 2012. Geert Wilders and the PVV was second with 20 – climbing from third place in the last election - and the CDA and centrist Democrats 66 tied for third with 19 each. Ms Le Pen’s comments come after Emmanuel Macron, tipped by most polls to end up in a second-round runoff Ms Le Pen, said the Dutch election was a warning to the right.

GETTY Geert Wilders took 20 seats

Mr Macron said: "The Netherlands is showing us a breakthrough for the extreme right is not a foregone conclusion and that progressives are gaining momentum.” The election debate in the Netherlands was dominated by the blonde populist’s anti-Islamist rhetoric, with the mainstream parties moving to the right to fend off the challenge. Ms Le Pen is also hoping to whip up support in France using her own brand of Euroscepticism and hardline anti-migrant populism.

GETTY Marine Le Pen is hoping to whip up support in France