Two former mayors of the Dutch city of Rotterdam are calling for a recount of the votes cast in last Wednesday's local elections.
 

Bram Peper and Ivo Opstelten told reporters there were so many irregularities they cannot be ignored. Calls for a recount were rejected last week by current Rotterdam Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb, who said the reported problems were too small to affect the outcome.

The vote ended with the Labour Party and local Habitable Rotterdam party both taking 14 seats each on the 45-member local council. Labour, however, was declared the biggest party, having polled some 650 votes more than its local rival.

One incident quoted in local media on Monday concerns a man who admitted having voted twice, after receiving three voting cards in his name. Eyewitnesses accounts tell of some voters being 'assisted' when filling in their ballot forms, which is illegal however good the intention of such helpers may be. At one Rotterdam polling station the three civil servants in charge were replaced after they failed to act against certain irregularities.

© Radio Netherlands Worldwide