Ruling party claims Dutch poll victory

Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte has claimed victory for his conservative VVD party in national elections widely seen as a referendum on the Netherlands’ commitment to Europe.

With 92% of constituencies reporting, the VVD was poised to take 41 seats in the 150-member Dutch parliament, two more than its largest rival, the centre-left Labor party. Mr Rutte said Labour leader Diederik Samsom had called him to concede.