In the Netherlands, the center-right liberal VVD party led by Mark Rutte has won the Dutch general election for the first time since it was founded in 1948. According to preliminary results VVD has won 31 out of the total 150 parliamentary seats, becoming the biggest party in the second Chamber of the States-General. It was followed by the Labour Party which grabbed 30 seats. <br/><br/>The Party for Freedom led by Greet Wilders came in third with 24 seats, raising its hope to be a partner of the new coalition government. <br/><br/>The Christian Democratic Action party of Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende suffered a crushing defeat, trailing in fourth place with 21 seats. With no party winning a clear majority, the prospect for how to form a new coalition government remains uncertain. <br/><br/>Meanwhile, the outgoing PM Jan Peter Balkenende resigned his seat after his party's defeat. Mr Balkenende also stepped down as leader of the party, which plummeted to a historic low losing 20 seats.