Liberal-progressive party D66 wins Dutch election

Party will take lead in first round of talks to form coalition government after securing most votes

Rob Jetten, leader of the D66, celebrates, one day after the general election, at the House of Representatives in The Hague. Pic: Peter Dejong/AP

The Dutch liberal-progressive party D66 won the most votes in Wednesday’s general election, the news agency ANP has reported, putting its 38-year-old leader, Rob Jetten, on course to become the youngest prime minister in the Netherlands.

While the last few thousand votes are still being counted, Dutch media reported on Friday that Geert Wilders’ anti-immigration, anti-Islam Party for Freedom (PVV) could no longer win.

D66 is now expected to take the lead in a first round of talks to form a coalition government, a process that usually takes months.

Both parties had been predicted to win 26 seats in Wednesday’s snap election, which revolved around not only the housing crisis, immigration and healthcare, but also competent leadership. According to ANP, D66 is likely to receive one more seat, putting the party on 27.

All mainstream parties had already ruled out governing with Wilders, the anti-Islam firebrand whose PVV won 37 seats in 2023 then led a chaotic rightwing coalition that lasted less than a year before he torpedoed it in a row over his draconian immigration plans.

However, while this is the end of the self-described “most rightwing government ever”, and there is a clear surge in support for centrist parties, experts said the far-right vote had simply shifted to smaller parties and trust in politics remains at just 4%.

By parliamentary convention, the leader of the winning party takes the lead in a coalition-formation process. But with the fragmented result – in which many far-right voters deserted Wilders but chose the far-right JA21 and Forum for Democracy – it will be difficult to form a government.

Jetten on Friday urged all mainstream parties to unite. “Voters have clearly indicated the need for cooperation,” Jetten said. “We want to find a majority that will eagerly work on issues such as the housing market, migration, climate and the economy.“ 

Léonie de Jonge, an expert in far-right extremism at the University of Tübingen, said the clear win did not make the path ahead much easier. “D66 gets to initiate the formation of the government, but still I think the underlying message of the election is that the far right is not defeated,” she said. 

“I think the real challenge is moving forward, forming a government with the increasingly fragmented landscape that Dutch politics now constitutes.” 

Although a left-right coalition with the centrist Christian Democratic Appeal, VVD and GreenLeft-Labour would be strongest in the lower and upper chambers, the VVD leader, Dilan Yeşilgöz-Zegerius, said repeatedly during the campaign that ruling with the left was something she “did not see happening”.

Jetten’s impressive debating style, clean-cut image and positive messaging won over enough voters for a historic win. 

“D66 managed to attract voters from all directions, drawing in both left- and right-leaning supporters,” said Matthijs Rooduijn, an expert on populism at the University of Amsterdam. 

“Many GreenLeft-Labour voters were dissatisfied with their own party leader but responded positively to Jetten and D66’s upbeat ‘It can be done’ campaign.

“At the same time, D66’s tougher stance on immigration appealed to rightwing voters from VVD, NSC, and even PVV, making its current electorate more diverse. And more critical and negative about immigration.”

— The Guardian