Dutch centrist D66 scores major gains as far right loses ground

Centrist liberal party D66, led by 38-year-old Rob Jetten, has made sweeping gains in the Dutch election, emerging neck and neck with Geert Wilders’ far-right Freedom Party (PVV) in early results - a stunning reversal just two years after D66 ranked sixth.With 90% of votes counted early on Thursday

With 90% of votes counted early on Thursday, D66 and Geert Wilders’ Freedom Party (PVV) were each projected to win 26 seats in the 150-seat parliament, a sharp fall for Wilders from his record performance in 2023, and a dramatic surge for D66, which nearly tripled its total.

The Ipsos I&O exit poll projects D66 with 27 seats, narrowly ahead of Geert Wilders’ anti-Islam populist party, which secured 25 seats in the last election. While the final result remains too close to call, Dutch exit polls are generally reliable.

Three other parties are close behind, including the conservative liberals, the Green-Labour party, and the Christian Democrats.

Former EU Commissioner Frans Timmermans resigned as leader of the Green-Labour party after the disappointing exit poll results. The left-wing party is projected to drop to 20 seats, down from 25 in 2023, highlighting the challenges faced by progressive forces in this vote.

Wilders, one of Europe’s longest-serving populist leaders, acknowledged the setback after early results confirmed he had lost seats.

“Of course we would have liked to win more seats and I regret the loss, but it’s not as if we were wiped off the map,” he said, adding that he would “fight on from the opposition.”

Jetten, 38, now appears set to begin coalition talks to form the next government, potentially becoming the Netherlands’ youngest-ever prime minister.

Cheers and chants of “Yes, we can” broke out at D66’s election night celebration as supporters waved Dutch flags.

“We’ve shown not only to the Netherlands, but also to the world that it is possible to beat populist and extreme right movements,” Jetten told the crowd. “Millions of Dutch people today turned a page and said farewell to the politics of negativity, of hate, of endless ‘no we can’t.’”

Wilders led the polls for much of the campaign but lost momentum after abandoning his own coalition plans in June over asylum and migration disputes. Jetten, 38, ran a polished campaign, highlighted by strong TV debate performances, boosting his public profile.

Key issues in the election included migration, overcrowded asylum centres, and the chronic housing shortage of nearly 400,000 homes. D66 has proposed building 10 new cities to tackle the crisis.

During the campaign, Jetten also promised to invest in education and manage immigration more effectively — a message that resonated with urban and younger voters frustrated by political stagnation.

All major mainstream parties have ruled out joining a coalition with Wilders, whose last government collapsed in June over asylum policy. To reach a parliamentary majority of 76 seats, D66 will likely need a four-party coalition. One scenario being discussed includes D66, the Christian Democrats, the centre-right VVD, and the Green–Labour alliance.

Supporters gathered in Leiden as initial results were confirmed by a second exit poll shortly after 21:30 local time (20:30 GMT).

“It was a campaign of optimism… the Dutch are tired of two years of standstill. We want progress,” said D66 supporter Eline.

Coalition talks in the Netherlands are traditionally lengthy — the last government took nearly 300 days to form — and analysts expect negotiations to stretch well into next year.

The Dutch election was seen as a test of whether Europe’s far right could maintain its momentum or whether its appeal had peaked. For now, the results suggest a comeback for the political centre, and for Rob Jetten, a new chance to shape the Netherlands’ future.

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