Euroscepticism, conservative values and opposition to current immigration policies have put Holland's Forum for Democracy, a newcomer in Dutch politics, at the top of the country's political Mount Olympus during this week's provincial elections.

It's almost midnight on Wednesday, 20 March, and the crowd inside a small hotel in central Holland's Zeist is glued to the TV screens. Every once in a while, the room explodes with applause as exit poll results from provincial council elections come in.