Overview
- National news agency ANP says Geert Wilders’ PVV cannot close the gap, with D66 ahead by roughly 15,000 votes and both parties currently on 26 seats as the final mail ballots are tallied.
- No party approaches the 76-seat majority, and most mainstream parties have ruled out partnering with the PVV, pointing to protracted coalition negotiations centered on centrist combinations.
- Rob Jetten, 38, is positioned to initiate the scout/informateur process next week and could become the Netherlands’ youngest and first openly gay prime minister if he assembles a majority coalition.
- D66 posted major gains compared with 2023 while the PVV lost around 11 seats from its record result, shifting momentum away from the far right.
- The snap election followed Wilders withdrawing the PVV from government in June over immigration disputes, after a campaign dominated by migration, housing shortages and rising health-care costs.