PARIS, March 16 (Xinhua) -- French President Francois Hollande on Thursday hailed Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte's election victory over major rival Geert Wilders.
In a statement issued by his office, Hollande "warmly congratulates Mark Rutte for his clear victory against extremism."
"The values of openness, respect for others and faith in the future of Europe are the only real response to the nationalist impulses and isolationism that are shaking the world," he added.
Final exit poll released on Wednesday showed the center-right People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) of Rutte took the lead in the Dutch parliamentary elections, beating far-right candidate Wilders, in a blow to surging populist sentiment that emerged after anti-establishment vote in the United States and Britain.
