Centrist D66 emerges victorious in Dutch election as Wilders’ support collapses

The centrist Democrats' 66 (D66) party has emerged as the leading force in the Dutch parliamentary elections, gaining a strong position to form the next government after a sharp drop in support for far-right leader Geert Wilders’ Freedom Party (PVV).

With 98% of ballots counted early on October 29, D66 and the PVV were both projected to win 26 seats in the 150-member lower house, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.

However, D66 held a narrow lead of about 2,300 votes out of roughly 10 million cast, according to preliminary results. The count is expected to resume later in the day.

D66 recorded the biggest gains of any party, nearly tripling its representation, while Wilders’ PVV suffered a steep decline after its record performance in the 2023 election. Exit polls and early tallies initially pointed to a narrow D66 victory, though the PVV showed a slightly stronger late-night performance. The final results, however, are unlikely to change the potential makeup of the next coalition government.

Mainstream parties have ruled out joining forces with Wilders after he collapsed the last PVV-led coalition earlier this year, leaving him without a credible path to a governing majority.

The results now open the door for D66 leader Rob Jetten, 38, to begin coalition talks and potentially become the youngest prime minister in Dutch history.

Wilders, however, maintained that the situation remained unclear. “As long as it's not 100% clear, D66 can't take the lead. We will do everything we can to prevent that,” he wrote on X early on Thursday. The PVV leader had already admitted disappointment on election night, acknowledging that his party had lost ground and was unlikely to join the next government.

Celebration at D66 headquarters

At D66’s election night event in Leiden, supporters erupted in cheers and chants of “Yes, we can” as early results were announced.

“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 jubilant supporters. “Millions of Dutch people today turned a page and said farewell to the politics of negativity, of hate, of endless 'no we can't'.”

Jetten’s popularity has risen sharply in recent weeks as he campaigned on addressing the housing crisis, investing in education, and managing immigration challenges more effectively.

Wilders, one of Europe’s longest-serving populist figures, is known for his anti-Islam views and lives under constant security protection due to death threats. During the campaign, he called for policies that included banning asylum seekers, repatriating male Ukrainian refugees, and ending foreign aid to fund domestic priorities — proposals that would have breached EU laws.

After leading his party to first place in 2023 and forming an all-conservative coalition, Wilders saw his government collapse in June when coalition partners rejected his hardline agenda.

Long road to a coalition

The election was widely viewed as a test of whether Europe’s far-right movement could sustain its momentum. The outcome suggests that support for populism may be plateauing in the Netherlands.

To form a majority government, at least 76 seats are required, meaning D66 will need to build a coalition with at least three other parties. One likely combination could include D66, the conservative Christian Democrats, the centre-right VVD, and the Greens-Labour alliance.

By Aghakazim Guliyev