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<p data-start="88" data-end="377"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">In a dramatic political shift, the centre-left D66 party has made sweeping gains in the Netherlands&rsquo; general election, almost tripling its representation in parliament, while Geert Wilders&rsquo; far-right Freedom Party (PVV) suffered a sharp fall from its record 2023 performance.</span></p>
<p data-start="379" data-end="687"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">With about 90 percent of votes counted early Thursday, both D66 and PVV were projected to win 26 seats each in the 150-member lower house of parliament. Despite the apparent tie, the momentum has clearly swung in D66&rsquo;s favour, with the party now expected to lead government formation talks.</span></p>
<p data-start="689" data-end="975"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">The results mark a steep decline for Wilders, often referred to as the&nbsp;&ldquo;Dutch Trump&rdquo;&nbsp;whose populist surge last year propelled him to first place. In contrast, D66 has made the biggest gains among all parties, securing nearly three times as many seats as in the previous election.</span></p>
<p data-start="977" data-end="1304"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Early exit polls had shown a narrow lead for D66, with Wilders trailing close behind. However, as more votes were counted, the gap between the two parties narrowed slightly. Still, mainstream Dutch parties have already ruled out forming a coalition with Wilders, effectively ending his chances of becoming prime minister.</span></p>
<p data-start="1306" data-end="1439"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Wilders, addressing supporters on Wednesday night, expressed disappointment at the losses but vowed to remain active in opposition.</span><br><br><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">&ldquo;Of course, we would have liked to win more seats, and I regret the loss, but it&rsquo;s not as if we were wiped off the map,&rdquo; he said.</span></p>
<p data-start="1575" data-end="1739"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">The outcome paves the way for Rob Jetten, the 38-year-old D66 leader, to potentially become the Netherlands&rsquo; youngest and first openly gay prime minister.</span></p>
<p data-start="1741" data-end="2005"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">At D66&rsquo;s election night gathering, cheers and chants of &ldquo;Yes, we can&rdquo; filled the air as supporters waved Dutch flags and celebrated the turnaround. Jetten, addressing the jubilant crowd, declared that the election marked a clear rejection of divisive politics.</span><br><br><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve shown not only to the Netherlands, but also to the world that it is possible to beat populist and extreme right movements,&rdquo; Jetten told supporters.</span><br data-start="2162" data-end="2165"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">&ldquo;Millions of Dutch people today turned a page and said farewell to the politics of negativity, of hate, of endless &lsquo;No we can&rsquo;t&rsquo;.&rdquo;</span></p>
<p data-start="2301" data-end="2510"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Jetten&rsquo;s surge in popularity over the past month was fueled by his campaign promises to tackle the housing crisis, boost education funding, and address immigration concerns with balanced reforms.</span></p>
<p data-start="2512" data-end="2951"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Meanwhile, Wilders one of Europe&rsquo;s longest-serving populist leaders has built his career around an&nbsp;anti-immigration and anti-Muslim platform. He continues to live under heavy security protection due to multiple death threats. His controversial proposals included banning asylum requests, sending male Ukrainian refugees back home, and cutting foreign aid to redirect funds toward domestic healthcare and energy subsidies.</span></p>
<p data-start="2953" data-end="3259"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">After his surprise first-place finish in 2023, Wilders managed to form an all-conservative coalition, but his partners refused to endorse him as prime minister. That government collapsed earlier this year when Wilders withdrew support in protest over their refusal to implement his hardline policies.</span></p>
<p data-start="3261" data-end="3447"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">This election, therefore, became a litmus test for the far right&rsquo;s influence in Europe, with the outcome suggesting that the movement may be losing momentum in the Netherlands.</span></p>
<p data-start="3449" data-end="3721"><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">To form a governing majority, D66 will now need at least four parties to reach the 76-seat threshold in parliament. One likely coalition scenario could bring together D66, the Christian Democrats, the centre-right VVD, and the Greens-Labour alliance.</span></p>
<p data-start="3723" data-end="3930" data-is-last-node="" data-is-only-node=""><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;">However, as is typical in Dutch politics, coalition negotiations are expected to take several months, underscoring the challenge of forming a stable government in a deeply fragmented political landscape.</span></p>
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Centrist D66 Triumphs as Dutch Far Right Falls

Rob Jetten’s D66 surges in Dutch polls; Geert Wilders’ far-right PVV loses major ground

Centrist D66 Triumphs as Dutch Far Right Falls

Rob Jetten’s D66 surges in Dutch polls; Geert Wilders’ far-right PVV loses major ground

October 30, 2025 | 21:00 IST