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Political expert Tom-Jan Meeus said euroscepticism is booming in the traditionally liberal country and predicted that right-wing candidate Geert Wilders could become its next leader. And he said that a huge amount will hinge on the outcome of the US Presidential election next month, with a vote for Donald Trump likely to embolden ultra conservatives in the Netherlands.

GETTY Geert Wilders, right, will taken on Mark Rutte in the Dutch general election next year

Over the last 40 years Dutch politics has overwhelmingly followed a similar path of that of the US, with voters turning to the left or right in sync with those across the Atlantic. And Holland's upcoming election, which will happen next spring, is being widely cast as a battle between two right-wing candidates taking place in the shadow of Mr Trump's sensationalist campaign.

GETTY The Netherlands is now turning against Brussels, according to a political commentator

GETTY The Dutch people rejected a key EU deal in a referendum this spring

Mr Wilders, whose anti-immigrant, anti-Islam party is topping the polls, will go up against the more centralist Conservative and current prime minister Mark Rutte. And as the contest intensifies Mr Meeus, a columnist at the Dutch paper NRC Handelsblad, predicted that both will turn to populist rhetoric in a bid to secure victory. In an opinion piece for Politico, he wrote: "Dutch political commentator Tom-Jan Meeus said: "The Dutch will likely make a decisive turn to the right next March. Just how far they go is in the hands of the American voter." WHO IS GEERT WILDERS?

He added: "Rutte has framed the next election as a choice between him and Wilders. For Dutch politics, this is unprecedented territory. "The campaign pits two right-wing parties against one another, instead of the traditional fight between the Right and the Left. "In Dutch political campaigns, the two leading parties typically gain from a two-way fight, to the detriment of the other parties. So the most probable outcome at this point will see Rutte and Wilders both do very well, while the Left stands to suffer historic losses. "Particularly in the areas of immigration, terror and Islam, this would mean a dramatic turn to the right. The new Netherlands could well become a country that prefers conflict and confrontation over consensus and tolerance."

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