Khaled Shawkat, IOL Holland Correspondent

THE HAGUE, January 24 (IslamOnline) – Seven Muslims lawmakers, including five women, maintained their seats in the new Dutch parliament, according to early election results announced Thursday, January 23.

The seven legislators belong to five of nine political parties represented in the new parliament.

Koskon Ghorosh, a man of Turkish origin, secured a parliamentary seat on the list of the Christian Democrats Party (CDA) while Ayan Hersi Ali, a Somalia woman, and Fadem Arghou, a woman of Turkish origin, were re-elected on the list of the Liberals Party (VVD).

Nabahat Berqatar, another woman of Turkish woman, and Khadiga Areib, a Moroccan woman, maintained their seats on the list of the Social Democratic Labor party.

Farah Krimi, a woman of Iranian origin, were also re-elected to their parliamentary seat on the list of the Green Lift Party.

Ali al-Azraq, a man of Moroccan origin, maintained his seat through the Social Party bloc.

The early results of the elections signal a strong return to the political arena by the Social Democratic Labor party which garnered 42 seats in the 150-seat parliament, compared to 24 in the outgoing legislature.

The Social Democratic Labor Party came only second to the ruling Christian Democrats Party which obtained 44 seats, one seat more than its share in the outgoing parliament.

The new elections also saw a plunge in the number of the far-right Pim Fortuyn List Party seats to only eight compared to 26 seats in the previous legislature.

The Liberals Party, which was part of the ruling coalition, boosted its seats in the new parliament to 28, compared to 24 seats in the outgoing one.

The party failed, however, to secure the necessary majority to join a new coalition government with the Christian Democrats Party.

Analysts expect the new government to be formed by the Christian Democrats Party and Social Democratic Labor party.

The two parties enjoy 86 seats in the new parliament which secures them a comfort majority.

Observers attribute the overwhelming success of the Social Democratic Labor Party in the new elections to massive support by residents from major towns, where foreigners and especially Muslims form the majority.