Dutch prime minister Jan Peter Balkenende is set to hand in his government's resignation on Friday, after the ruling coalition fell apart over the handling of the citizenship of a Somali-born Dutch lawmaker.
The third collapse of a government since 2002 comes amid rising public concerns over immigration and security. Such concerns helped Balkenende's centre-right government take power, albeit through a fragile coalition, in 2003.
New elections are expected as early as September or October, well before their scheduled date of May 2007, that could see another swing to the left.
In local elections three months ago, Dutch voters backed leftwing parties, rejecting anti-immigration populists and ruling centre-right parties blamed for an economic slump.
A poll published by Interview NSS/NOVA on Thursday showed Balkenende's Christian Democrats would lose six of their 44 seats, and the D66 half its seats, while the VVD Liberals would gain three seats if elections were held now.
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