The far-right, anti-Islam party of firebrand politician Geert Wilders has won the most seats in the Dutch election, exit polls have suggested, a political earthquake that will be felt far beyond the country's borders.
Beating all predictions, the exit poll put Mr Wilders' Freedom Party (PVV) at 35 out of 150 seats, nine seats ahead of the closest rival, former EU Commissioner Frans Timmermans' Labour/Green Left combination.
That margin was far greater than expected.
The party of outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte, the conservative VVD, was in third place at 23 seats, the exit poll showed.
Mr Rutte resigned in July as his fourth coalition government collapsed, ending a 13-year tenure.
If confirmed in the final results, Mr Wilders' victory marks a sharp lurch to the right that will be viewed with trepidation in Brussels as the PVV has promised a referendum on Dutch membership of the European Union.
"It might not be what other parties in Europe or in other countries strive for but, hey, that's democracy," the 60-year-old told reporters as he voted.
Immigration was the key topic of the referendum campaign and Mr Wilders' hardline stance, including closing the borders and deporting illegal immigrants, seemed to have resonated with Dutch voters.
"It's been enough now. The Netherlands can't take it anymore. We have to think about our own people first now. Borders closed. Zero asylum seekers," Mr Wilders said in a television debate on the eve of the election.
Although Mr Wilders appears to have triumphed in the polls, it is not clear if he will be able to garner the necessary support for a broad enough coalition to form a workable government.
All the leaders of the three other top parties have said they would not serve in a PVV-led coalition.
Kate Parker, from the Economist Intelligence Unit, said it would lead to "constitutional stalemate" in the EU's fifth-largest economy.
Mr Wilders will likely lead government formation talks that will start on Friday.
He has said he wants to lead the country, but will have to cooperate with other parties to form a coalition with a majority in parliament. That process usually takes months.
He is expected to try to form a right-wing government with the VVD and the upstart party 'New Social Contract'.
Mr Rutte will remain in a caretaker role until the new government is installed, likely in the first half of 2024.
'Nexit'
Mr Wilders is known as the "Dutch Trump", partly for his swept-back dyed hairstyle that resembles the former US president, but also for his rants against immigrants and Muslims.
From calling Moroccans "scum" to holding competitions for cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed, Mr Wilders has built a career from his self-appointed mission to stop an "Islamic invasion" of the West.
During the campaign, he sought to tone down his message, saying he could put some of his more strident views on Islam "in the freezer".
He stressed he would be prime minister for everyone "regardless of their religion, background, sex or whatever", insisting the cost-of-living crisis was a bigger priority.
But as his opponents never tired of pointing out, his PVV manifesto tells a different story.
With hallmark Wilders rhetoric, the manifesto says: "Asylum-seekers feast on delightful free cruise-ship buffets while Dutch families have to cut back on groceries."
The programme proposes a ban on Islamic school, Korans and mosques. Headscarves would be banned from government buildings. "The Netherlands is not an Islamic country," it adds.
A "binding referendum" would be held on a "Nexit" -- the idea of the Netherlands leaving the EU. The PVV also calls for an "immediate halt" to development aid.
