The latest vote count results show that the centrist D66 party has won even slightly more support than the populist Geert Wilders’ PVV, writes the BBC.
With 98% of the approximately ten million votes cast counted, and although the result may change slightly, it currently appears that the liberals will win at least as many seats in parliament as the populists – 26 seats each party.
Initial polls show that the centrist D66, led by Rob Jetten, is in the lead. He told supporters that millions of Dutch people have made a new choice and said goodbye to the politics of negativity.
The result for Wilder is not what he had expected, but the politician pointed out that the party still achieved its second-best result. The PVV led the polls throughout the campaign, but after Wilders broke up his own coalition in June, the leaders of all the major parties have said they will not work with the populists again.
Three other parties are not far behind:
the conservative liberals VVD, the left-wing Labour Party PvdA and the Christian Democrats CDA.
Wilders has admitted that it is unlikely that he will be able to form a government himself, but on the 30th of Ocotber he said that if his party wins the most votes, he should be given the opportunity. Even without a clear victory, Jetten has a better chance of leading the next government. Just a few weeks ago, Jetten’s D66 was predicted to win only 12 seats in parliament, but the charismatic liberal leader has used his well-executed performances in television debates and interviews to his advantage. He also won the television quiz show The Smartest Person. However, despite the festive mood in the party and among his supporters, Jetten has prudently not yet declared victory.
Going into the election, Dutch citizens knew that the competition would be fierce, and five parties were hoping for victory. In 2023, Wilder’s PVV won 37 seats in parliament, but this time many voters were turned away from the party by the fact that he would have difficulty finding parties willing to cooperate with the populists. It took Wilder seven months to form a coalition, and after 11 months he himself broke it up.
Jetten has made it clear that he wants a broad coalition that is both stable and ambitious,
and has indicated that it is unusual for a winning party to receive fewer than 30 seats in parliament. Jetten has named the PvdA, VVD and CDA as potential coalition partners.
Frans Timmermans, leader of the PvdA, has been disappointed by the election results. He has announced his resignation as party leader.
Both Timmermans and Wilders are over 60 years old and entered politics at the same time, and it is clear that the Dutch want new faces. However, Wilders has said that he does not intend to leave politics.
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