Ruling party wins Holland’s election, turning back far-right challenge

Holland's far-right Party of Freedom, led by Geert Wilders, was defeated in the country's general elections held on Wednesday. Reports indicated there was a very high voting rate among the 13 million citizens eligible to cast ballots. Wilders' party, which had said that it would close the country's mosques, expel illegal immigrants and withdraw Holland from the EU if it won the election, took only 19 out of the 150 parliamentary seats. Meanwhile, the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy, led by incumbent Prime Minister Mark Rutte, won 31 seats. European leaders including French President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel called Rutte to congratulate him following the victory.