The Labour party (PVDA) lost one seat but remains the biggest party in Leeuwarden following Wednesday’s local elections.

Some 300,000 people were eligible to vote in several dozen areas in the north and south following boundary changes, which meant new local authorities have to be elected.

In Leeuwarden itself, the PvdA had double the number of votes of the number two – GroenLinks – and will retain control of the city’s coalition.

Labour leader Lodewijk Asscher, who saw the national party’s vote plunge at last year’s general election, described the results as ‘great’, despite the low turnout of just 40.5%.

The PvdA will have 11 seats on the council in the Frisian capital, followed by GroenLinks and the Christian Democrats, both on five. The liberal parties D66 and the VVD both won four seats.

New region

In the new region of Súdwest-Fryslân, the CDA emerged as the biggest party with 10 seats, followed by the Labour party with six. The Frisian national party (FNP) held on to its five seats.

In Gelderland, where the local authority areas of Rijnwaarden and Zevenaar have been combined, local interest party Lokaal Belang topped the poll with 10 seats, while the CDA was second with seven.

In Midden-Groningen, a new region including some of the areas worst affected by earthquakes, local party GemeenteBelangen Midden-Groningen won five seats, the same as the Socialists and the Labour party. The VVD, CDA and ChristenUnie each won four.

The boundary changes have reduced the number of local authority areas in the Netherlands from 388 to 380. The rest of the country will vote for new local councils in March 2018.