Amsterdam - With 92.1 per cent of the Dutch vote counted, the right-wing Dutch Freedom Party emerged Friday as the first winner in the EU-wide parliamentary elections.

According to the preliminary results released early Friday in the Netherlands, the populist party won 16.9 per cent of the vote and is to receive four seats in the European Parliament, becoming second-strongest Dutch faction after the Christian Democrats.

The final results were due to come in Friday morning, Dutch officials said.

The Christian Democrats dropped from seven to five seats, while still remaining the biggest Dutch party in the European Parliament. Labour managed to hold on to three of its previously seven seats.

The Liberal VVD and the left Liberal D66 each won three seats, leftist Socialist Party, the Greens, and religious Christian parties each won two.

Dutch officials said 36.5 per cent of the electorate voted for the European Parliament, slightly less than the 40.1 per cent in 2004 but still more than 1999's all-time low of 30 per cent.

The release of the provisional results before the EU-wide polling stops Sunday is a violation of EU rules.

The Dutch ignored demands from the European Commission urging them not to count the ballot boxes before Sunday night when voting would be completed across the EU.(dpa)