Voters dealt a hammer blow to the Dutch establishment in Wednesday's regional elections, propelling the Farmer-Citizen Movement to become the largest party in the Senate in just its first election.
Exit polls projected the movement will win 15 seats in the Dutch upper chamber as voters sent a clear message to Mark Rutte's government over its planned nitrogen emissions laws campaigners say will devastate the country's agricultural sector.
What started as a grassroots farmers' protest against damaging environmental rules could bring the Dutch government to its knees.
10,000 Dutch farmers protest government's crippling nitrogen emissions target in The Hague.
Protesters claim the Dutch government is lying about the extent of the emissions problem in order to grab privately owned land.
At a recent demonstration in The Hague ahead of the elections, over 10,000 Dutch farmers came to hear campaigners speaking out against the government plans.
Wednesday's electoral victory does not guarantee success against the government's plans, but with support from JA21 and Geert Wilders' PVV party, the farmers' movement will be able to establish a solid block of opposition to government policy and seek to frustrate the process.
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