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D66 Pulls Ahead in Dutch Election as Jetten Claims Narrow Lead Over Wilders

Attention shifts to overseas ballots, with the Electoral Council set to certify the result next week.

Overview

  • After the final domestic constituency reported on Friday, Rob Jetten’s D66 leads Geert WildersPVV by 14,081 votes, with only postal and expatriate ballots left to count.
  • Projections keep both D66 and PVV at 26 seats in the 150-seat chamber, with media noting D66 could gain one more once overseas votes are tallied and the official result is proclaimed Friday by the Kiesraad.
  • Jetten declared victory and is preparing to start coalition talks, with party leaders due to select an initial 'scout' next week to map potential alliances toward a 76-seat majority.
  • Wilders posted claims of voting irregularities that remain unverified, while the Electoral Council cites independent security audits, including a 2024 Fox-IT review finding no major vulnerabilities in the counting software.
  • With PVV down from its 2023 high and smaller right-wing parties gaining seats (FvD to seven, JA21 to nine), attention turns to a possible centrist 'grand coalition' spanning D66, VVD, CDA and Greens/Labour, though tensions between VVD and Greens/Labour persist.