D66 wins Dutch general election, paving path for coalition talks
D66 wins Dutch general election, paving path for coalition talks
D66 leads in a fragmented Dutch vote, with Rob Jetten on track to become the Netherlands' youngest prime minister. Coalition talks loom as far-right votes shift toward centrists.
The Dutch liberal-progressive party D66 won the most votes in Wednesday's general election, with the news agency ANP reporting that its 38-year-old leader Rob Jetten is on course to become the Netherlands' youngest prime minister.
As the last few thousand ballots were still being counted on Friday, Dutch media signaled that D66 could end up with 27 seats, one more than the 26 many had forecast. The result marks the end of the self-described 'most rightwing government ever,' and comes as support shifts away from the far right toward centrist parties. Geert Wilders’ anti-immigration PVV could no longer win, having held 37 seats in 2023 and led a chaotic right-wing coalition that collapsed last year.
With a fragmented parliament, coalition-building is expected to be lengthy. By parliamentary convention, the leader of the winning party takes the lead in coalition talks, but experts say stitching together a majority will be difficult as far-right votes appear to have migrated to smaller parties such as JA21 and Forum for Democracy. Jetten acknowledged the challenge, urging all mainstream parties to unite. 'Voters have clearly indicated the need for cooperation,' he said, adding that they want a majority that will eagerly work on housing, migration, climate and the economy.
Analysts also note that trust in politics remains low around 4%, a stubborn hurdle in a country grappling with housing shortages, immigration concerns and other hot-button issues. The path ahead will depend on how parties compromise on policies and how swiftly they can form a functioning government after the snap election.
Léonie de Jonge, an expert in far-right extremism at the University of Tübingen, said the clear result does not erase the political fault lines or the lure of smaller hard-right outfits for disillusioned voters. While the D66 victory is decisive, many observers expect a bumpy, months-long process before a durable coalition emerges.
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