荷兰首相鲁特击败民族主义挑战者

Early results from the Netherlands election say Prime Minister Mark Rutte's party has won the most seats in parliament, defeating that of anti-immigrant, anti-Islam nationalist Geert Wilders by a larger margin than expected.

Rutte's center-right People's Party for Freedom and Democracy is expected to take 31 of 150 seats, far ahead of any other party. Three parties are expected to win 19 seats each, including Wilders' anti-immigration Freedom Party.

Officials say voter turnout was the highest in three decades, at 81 percent.

Rutte called the results "a celebration of democracy." He said the Netherlands has said no to the "wrong kind of populists."

Various European leaders are voicing their approval of the outcome. German Chancellor Angela Merkel congratulated Rutte by phone, while French President Francois Hollande released a statement praising "the values of openness, respect for others, and a faith in Europe's future" as the only true responses to nationalism and isolationism. Luxembourg's Prime Minister Xavier Bettel took to social media to tweet his support.

Wilders' run was seen as the latest test of a wave of populism to sweep across Europe, extending as far as the United States across the Atlantic. After Britain sent shock waves across Europe by voting to leave the EU, Wilders' climb to prominence was seen as further warning that cooperation among European nations could be threatened.