Dutch voters appeared to have shunned far-right leader Geert Wilders in favour of a centrist party, exit polls suggested Wednesday, after a snap election closely watched in Europe where extremists are gaining ground.

The centrist D66 party led by Rob Jetten was projected to win 27 seats out of 150 in parliament, ahead of Wilders and his far-right PVV Freedom Party with 25 seats, according to the Ipsos poll.

Exit polls in the Netherlands generally provide an accurate reflection of the parliamentary make-up but the seats could change as actual votes are counted.

The centre-right liberal VVD party was predicted to win 23 seats, with the left-wing Green/Labour bloc expected to gain 20.

If confirmed, the result would put Jetten, a 38-year-old pro-European, in pole position to become prime m

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