Overview
- Initial exit polling indicates Rob Jetten’s D66 won about 27 seats, overtaking Geert Wilders’ PVV for the lead.
- Wilders remains politically isolated as major parties reiterate they will not enter a coalition with him, limiting his path to the premiership.
- Coalition negotiations are set to begin under the Netherlands’ proportional system and could take months, as no party approaches a majority in the 150-seat chamber.
- The campaign was dominated by immigration and the housing shortage, and it was tainted by AI-generated disinformation targeting Frans Timmermans that led Wilders to apologize.
- The snap election followed Wilders’ June 3 withdrawal of the PVV from the governing coalition over immigration policy, and the result is being watched as a barometer of far-right strength across Europe.