The far-right populist Geert Wilders has, after a fresh projection of the Dutch parliamentary election, closed the gap and is now tied with the left-liberal D66. Both parties could end up with 26 of the 150 seats in Parliament. Previously, the left-liberal D66, led by top candidate Rob Jetten, was two seats ahead of Wilders according to initial projections and forecasts.
The projection from the Dutch news agency ANP’s election service is based on roughly 90 percent of the ballots counted. The provisional final result is expected later in the day.
Wilders has clearly lost compared to 2023
For Wilders, the result is nonetheless a clear loss relative to the parliamentary election two years ago: back then his Freedom Party had 37 seats. The left-liberal D66 is seen as the election’s big winner, gaining 17 seats compared with the 2023 election. Their top candidate, the 38-year-old Rob Jetten, is also considered to have the best odds of forming a coalition, because all major parties have ruled out cooperating with Wilders.
The openly gay politician drew attention years ago when he publicized hate mail and insulting letters he had received. Since last year, Jetten has been officially engaged to Nicolás Keenan, the Argentinian field hockey national player, the first openly gay hockey pro in the Netherlands.
