Members of far right party Forum voor Democratie have until 6pm to vote in a referendum on whether founder Thierry Baudet should remain leader, despite being embroiled in a row about racism and anti-Semitism.

The online vote launched on Thursday and the result is due on Friday evening, party officials say.

The party claims to have more than 45,000 members, all of whom have been emailed with a secure link to the referendum website, although there have been some claims on social media that people who left the party months ago have also been sent the link.

The result of the vote will be binding and likely lead to a further schism in the party, which has been hit by a string of high profile resignations in recent days.

Among those to stand down as party representatives are senator and law professor Paul Cliteur, senator and Amsterdam councillor Annabel Nanninga and Theo Hiddema, the party’s other MP alongside Baudet.

The party’s fortunes in the polls have plummeted since reports of Baudet and others’ links with far right groups have circulated as well as Baudet’s support for conspiracy theorists such as anti-coroanvirus campaigner Willem Engel.