Dutch voters will head to the polls on October 29 in snap elections triggered by the dramatic collapse of the right-wing ruling coalition.
Interior Minister Judith Uitermark announced the election date on Friday and said she would coordinate with municipalities to ensure a smooth voting process.
Polls indicate a close race between the far-right Party for Freedom (PVV), led by firebrand Geert Wilders, and the Labour/Green Left alliance, headed by former European Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans.
The centre-right VVD is trailing slightly behind, suggesting a tightly contested vote.
The election was called after Wilders withdrew the PVV from the governing coalition in a dispute over immigration policy , pushing Prime Minister Dick Schoof and his cabinet to resign.
Wilders ha