Youngest Dutch PM in Years? D66 Leads to Defeat Far-Right Leader Wilders.
In a stunning turn of events, centrist D66 party has secured the most votes in the Dutch national election, paving the way for its leader Rob Jetten to form a government as the youngest ever prime minister of the Netherlands. According to exit polls, D66 is set to win 27 seats in the lower house of parliament, beating far-right leader Geert Wilders’ Freedom Party on 25.
Cheers and chants of "Yes, we can" erupted at the D66 election night celebration as supporters waved Dutch flags. Jetten, who has been gaining popularity over the past month with his promise to address a housing shortage, invest in education, and tackle immigration concerns, was beaming with joy. "One thing is very certain," he 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'. Let's turn the page on Wilders and work on a splendid future for our beautiful country."
Wilders, one of Europe’s longest-serving populist leaders, had proposed hardline measures including denying all asylum requests and halting development aid. His party's first-place finish in the 2023 election had formed an all-conservative coalition, but his partners refused to endorse him as prime minister, leading to the government's collapse.
Speaking to reporters, Wilders was disappointed with the loss of seats but vowed to continue fighting from the opposition. "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.
The Dutch election has been seen as a test of whether the far right can expand its reach or if it has peaked in parts of Europe. If confirmed, the exit polls indicate that Wilders’ unwillingness to compromise is also not a recipe for taking and holding power in the Netherlands, which has a long tradition of consensus-building.
Mainstream parties have committed to core international issues such as support for NATO, the EU, and Ukraine, including plans to increase military spending. The left-wing party, Greens-Labour, suffered a disappointing outcome with exit polls showing they would drop from 25 seats in 2023 to 20 seats.
With at least four parties required to form a governing coalition, one possible scenario is a pact including D66, the conservative Christian Democrats, the centre-right VVD, and the Greens-Labour party. As the Netherlands embarks on this new chapter, it remains to be seen how Jetten will navigate the complex web of coalition talks to shape the country's future.
In a stunning turn of events, centrist D66 party has secured the most votes in the Dutch national election, paving the way for its leader Rob Jetten to form a government as the youngest ever prime minister of the Netherlands. According to exit polls, D66 is set to win 27 seats in the lower house of parliament, beating far-right leader Geert Wilders’ Freedom Party on 25.
Cheers and chants of "Yes, we can" erupted at the D66 election night celebration as supporters waved Dutch flags. Jetten, who has been gaining popularity over the past month with his promise to address a housing shortage, invest in education, and tackle immigration concerns, was beaming with joy. "One thing is very certain," he 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'. Let's turn the page on Wilders and work on a splendid future for our beautiful country."
Wilders, one of Europe’s longest-serving populist leaders, had proposed hardline measures including denying all asylum requests and halting development aid. His party's first-place finish in the 2023 election had formed an all-conservative coalition, but his partners refused to endorse him as prime minister, leading to the government's collapse.
Speaking to reporters, Wilders was disappointed with the loss of seats but vowed to continue fighting from the opposition. "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.
The Dutch election has been seen as a test of whether the far right can expand its reach or if it has peaked in parts of Europe. If confirmed, the exit polls indicate that Wilders’ unwillingness to compromise is also not a recipe for taking and holding power in the Netherlands, which has a long tradition of consensus-building.
Mainstream parties have committed to core international issues such as support for NATO, the EU, and Ukraine, including plans to increase military spending. The left-wing party, Greens-Labour, suffered a disappointing outcome with exit polls showing they would drop from 25 seats in 2023 to 20 seats.
With at least four parties required to form a governing coalition, one possible scenario is a pact including D66, the conservative Christian Democrats, the centre-right VVD, and the Greens-Labour party. As the Netherlands embarks on this new chapter, it remains to be seen how Jetten will navigate the complex web of coalition talks to shape the country's future.
i was at this cafe last wk and they put like 5 slices on one slice of bread it was insane! anyway back to dutch politics, lol who would've thought rob jetten would be the youngest pm ever? i heard he's pretty cool but we'll c how he does in gov
D66 taking the lead and wilders getting defeated is a big deal for the Netherlands i mean its not like they were super left or right but more centrist stuff which makes it even more interesting that jetten is gonna be the youngest pm ever 
he's literally going to be the youngest PM ever! i'm so hyped for him and the D66 party! they're gonna do amazing things for education and housing and immigration... it's like a breath of fresh air after all that negativity from Wilders 
what a time to be Dutch, right?
just heard about the Dutch election results... looks like Geert Wilders' far-right Freedom Party didn't do too well 
at least the D66 party got a decent haul, 27 seats is no joke 
but we'll see how Rob Jetten does as PM... Netherlands needs to figure out its housing shortage and education system ASAP 
Geert Wilders is still mad about being rejected... meanwhile, Rob Jetten is just chillin' as the youngest PM in years 
D66 is where it's at! 
But noooo, the Dutch people must have finally woken up from their coma and realized that Wilders' "negativity, hate" is not what they want for their country 
. Rob Jetten might be young and all, but he's also got some serious work ahead of him trying to form a coalition without driving everyone crazy 
hope Jetten knows what he's doing, been hearing a lot about education & housing shortages in NL... 
doesn't sound like Wilders was all that popular anyway 
would've been nice to see more parties competing for real change instead of just the same old two-tired far right/populist stuff... Netherlands needs something new 
D66's youth is kinda refreshing, let's hope they bring some fresh ideas to the table 
also it's weird how mainstream parties are already planning for a coalition with greens-labour considering they're one of the least popular ones now 
but idc what happens in coalition talks, at least wilders is speaking truth to power & standing up 4 what he believes in 
. I mean, who wants that kind of negativity in their politics? Not me, that's for sure 
.
. We'll see about that!
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OMG, can you believe Rob Jetten is gonna be the youngest PM in Netherlands history? 
I mean, he's already a total rockstar! 
And D66 finally brought some much-needed positivity to Dutch politics after that Wilders drama. It's like they took a page outta the Office (US) playbook where Michael Scott was all about turning over a new leaf and making people happy 
I'm low-key excited to see how Jetten navigates those coalition talks, it's gonna be like a masterclass in politics 101 