THE HAGUE, May 16 (IslamOnline) – Despite the defeat of Islamic parties in the Dutch elections Wednesday, May 15, Muslims won seven seats of the 150 in the parliament.

Nabahat Al-Berqetar, of Turkish origins, and Khadija Areeb, of Moroccan origins, managed to retain their seats in the newly formed parliament.

Naeema Azough, of Moroccan origins, also won a seat after her party, the leftist Green Party (GL), lost one seat in the elections. Iranian Farah Karimi of the Green Party also maintained her seat in the new parliament. The Green Party is well-known for its general acceptance of politicians of foreign origins.

Ali Al-Azraq, of Moroccan origins, and a member of the Socialist Party – the only leftist party to eke out a victory – won a seat in the new parliament. The Socialist Party now has 9 rather than 5 seats.

Koskon Ghorouz, originally Turkish, won a seat for the Christian Democrats, and sources believe that there are indications that Ghorouz may be appointed Minister of Minorities and Large Cities.

Fairouz Zerwal, a Moroccan candidate from the late Pim Fortuyn’s political party also won a seat in the Dutch parliament.

The Christian Democratic Party (CDA) achieved a massive victory in the parliamentary elections, as it won 43 out of 150 seats. The CDA had held on to a mere 29 seats ever since the 1998 elections.

The biggest surprise in this year’s Dutch elections, however, came from a party led by a murdered candidate. Pim Fortuyn’s List party won 26 elections, becoming the second most powerful political party in Holland, after the Christian Democrats. With this victory, Pim Fortuyn’s List party will play an essential role in shaping the Dutch government which will rule Holland until 2006.

The biggest loser in the elections was the ruling Labor Party (PvdA), which is considered the backbone of Dutch leftist politics. The PvdA lost 22 seats out of the 45 that it had previously held. This defeat is historic as it is the worst of its kind for the party ever since it was formed after the second world war.

The Liberal Party (VVD), the second partner in the Purple Coalition government, also lost 15 seats, maintaining its presence in the Dutch parliament with 23 seats rather than 28.

The smallest partner in the previous government, the Democratic Party 66 ( D66) also lost 6 seats, maintaining just 8 out of its previously 14 seats in parliament.

Ed Melckirt, the leader of the Labor Party, announced his resignation from the top position in the party immediately after the election results were announced. He called on his party to search for a new leader for the reformation that the socialist- democratic party will undertake after its defeat in the elections.

After the Dutch right achieved such a massive victory, Holland has become yet another European country which has chosen to replace the left with extreme-rightist governments, with anti-immigration stances.