In total 65,000 postal ballots were not counted in the March general election because of errors in the way the votes had been cast, broadcaster NOS said on Friday.

The over-70s were given the option of voting by post to reduce pressure on polling stations and limit their potential exposure to coronavirus.

Most of the votes were discounted because people had not included their official voting paper in the envelope, Nos said. This is crucial to ensure people are entitled to vote and do not vote more than once.

During the count, home affairs minister Kajsa Ollongren decided to include ballot papers which were put in the same envelope as the voting paper, even though they should have been placed in separate envelopes to ensure voting secrecy.

In total, 1,069,048 votes were cast by post. Some 2.4 million people were entitled to do so.