Local issues are rarely food for heated political debate. "Sidewalk paving slabs are neither Socialist nor Christian Democrat," as the saying in the Netherlands goes. And usually, local elections don't hold attention for very long either. Last Wednesday's municipal council elections, however, continue to dominate the Dutch headlines.

The obvious item of national interest is the local emergence of Geert Wilders' anti-islam Freedom Party as the biggest political force in the central city of Almere, and its second position in the country's political capital The Hague.

But the local elections have quite some more fall-out at national level. One mechanism causing this is the fall of the Dutch cabinet, only weeks before the local elections, which is tempting national politicians and journalists to interpret local results as a precursor for power shifts at the national level. General elections have been called for 9 June, so the start of the national campaign coincided with the local vote.

The active involvement of national politicians in local campaigning means that success or failure of local parties reflects strongly on the national leaders. The emergence of the small leftwing liberal D66 party in many local councils is seen as a success for national party leader Alexander Pechtold. It's his victory, although he was quick to refer the congratulations back to the grassroots party workers and newly elected councillors.

Leaders under fire
But a lack of local success backfires onto national leaders. The dramatic resignation of the Socialist Party's fiery and outspoken leader Agnes Kant may be but the first such move. Ms Kant, who led her party since 2008, said that the poor showing of her party in the villages and cities could be held against her, "whether that's true or not", adversely affecting her party's score in the June general elections. So "in the interests of the party" she stepped down as party leader on Thursday.

Even caretaker Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende, whose Christian Democrats lost heavily at the local level, is under fire. He was reappointed party leader only hours after his fourth cabinet fell. But senior party leaders are said to be unhappy about Mr Balkenende, who according to anonymous sources "is past his sell-by date". An opinion poll suggests that a quarter of Christian Democrat party members think it is time for a new leader, after Mr Balkenende failed, for the fourth time, to serve a full term as prime minister, which may have turned local voters away. The Christian Democrats lost 191 of their 1526 council seats.

Recounts abound
Returning to the local level, Labour and other parties are struggling for victory even two days after the Wednesday ballot. In the country's second city Rotterdam, votes were recounted when the difference between Labour and "Liveable Rotterdam" proved too close to call. After the recount in Rotterdam, Labour polled marginally more votes than "Liveable Rotterdam". Labour got 28.9 percent, "Liveable Rotterdam" 28.6. Both parties get 14 seats on the council. Liveable Rotterdam is a populist nationalist party which was originally led by Pim Fortuyn before he went national with his own party and was killed in 2002. The Rotterdam party, incidentally, has the seal of approval of anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders. His Freedom Party fielded candidates in just two cities.

In the southern city of Maastricht, a recount has also been requested because of possible errors. Labour and the Christian Democrats both got seven seats, but the Christian Democrats say that a recount could make them the biggest party. The city's election committee is investigating whether it is not too late to start a recount, two days after the actual vote. A similar situation exists in Lelystad, where a recount is likely because Labour is head-to-head with the conservative VVD party, which leads by just 18 votes.

A recount in the town of Geldrop-Mierlo brought no change to the outcome. A local party, DGG, again emerged as the winner, having polled 17 votes more than number two, the Christian Democrats.

Glitch despite proven technology
The central town of Lopik may decide on a recount following "a computer error". Although voters used the traditional ballot papers and red pencil to indicate their choice, the calculation was done using a computer. "Someone pressed the wrong button," a spokesman for Lopik council said.

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