THERE IS very little by way of election razzmatazz in Amsterdam. Yet as voters prepare for a national poll next week, the political system is in overdrive.
The ascent of liberal leader Mark Rutte (43), a former Unilever executive, means a change of government is increasingly likely.
But with that comes the prospect of a divisive debate over a possible coalition place for Geert Wilders, the anti-Islam provocateur who is as reviled by his many enemies as he is admired by his growing band of supporters.
The reason for this is the collapse in support for the conservative Christian Democratic party of long-serving premier Jan Peter Balkenende, who needs a political miracle to survive as leader after the poll next Wednesday.
Mr Rutte favours the conservatives as partners because it would be easier with them to pursue the swingeing austerity plan that has powered him to prime place. However, their weakness means the two parties could not command a majority.
This leaves Mr Rutte with a conundrum. Should he bring Mr Wilders in from the cold, prompting national and international alarm? Or should he form a “purple coalition” with Labour leader Job Cohen, who opposes his economic plan?
“There is one big topic in the Netherlands, and that is do you want Wilders in government or not?” said Maurice de Hond, a pollster whose research frequently sets the tone for Dutch political debate.
The political class is convulsed by this question. Many see Mr Wilders as an unacceptable candidate for a place in government, but Mr Rutte is keeping his options open.
The argument goes that he faces provincial and senate elections next March and fears being punished by voters if he has to dilute his austerity plan in any deal with Mr Cohen.
This flows from the dominant place of economics in the election debate.
“Economics are always important in elections in the Netherlands but this time even more than ever because of the financial crisis,” said Jacqueline Timmerhuis of the Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis, a think tank.
What is more, Mr de Hond says polling shows most liberal voters are prepared to overlook Mr Wilders’ immigration policy to solidify the right-wing influence on the next government.
Mr Rutte has tried to win space for himself, arguing Mr Wilders is left wing on the economy, but has not ruled out working with him.
Mr Wilders is a potent force, even if local people say the campaign has exposed frailties in his arguments.
Instantly recognisable with his dyed bouffant hair, Mr Wilders broke away from the liberals years ago to form his anti-immigration Freedom Party. More of a firebrand than Dutch populist Pim Fortuyn, who was assassinated in 2002, he is fiercely uncompromising in his rhetoric.
He compares the Koran to Hitler's Mein Kampfand claims his country has been flooded by "a tsunami of Muslims".
All of this is glaringly at odds with the liberal, bicycle-loving image that the Netherlands likes to project to the outside world.
But Mr Wilders has carved out a niche, particularly in crime-plagued inner-city areas, and Mr Rutte’s liberals have hardened their immigration policy as a result.
The Freedom Party performed well in local elections a few months back and took four of 25 contested seats in the European Parliament last year.