Dutch Centrist Rob Jetten's Narrow Victory Demonstrates Populists Can Be Defeated

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Dutch centrist party D66 won the most votes in this week’s general election, news agency ANP said on Friday, putting its 38-year-old leader Rob Jetten on course to become the youngest-ever prime minister in the Netherlands.

With almost all votes counted, pro-EU liberal D66 can no longer be overtaken by the far-right Freedom Party (PVV) led by Geert Wilders, according to ANP, which collects the results from all municipalities in the Netherlands.

Jetten claimed victory based on ANP’s announcement and urged mainstream parties from the left to the right to unite.

“Voters have clearly indicated the need for cooperation,” Jetten told reporters on Friday.

“We want to find a majority that will eagerly work on issues such as the housing market, migration, climate and the economy.”

“I believe we’ve demonstrated to Europe and the world that defeating populist movements is achievable when you campaign with an uplifting vision for your nation,” he remarked.

Securing approximately 18 percent of the vote, the party will require at least three coalition allies to command a simple majority in the 150-seat parliament’s lower house.

Wilders did not concede defeat and in a social media post called Jetten “arrogant” for not waiting for the announcement of the final result by the country’s election council next week.

D66 is now expected to take the lead in a first round of talks to form a coalition government, a process which usually takes months.

For Geert Wilders, this election marked a significant downturn from the 37 seats his anti-immigration VVP secured in the 2023 election. Source: Getty / Horacio Villalobos/Corbis

Wilders has called for an inquiry into what he described as a “wave” of alleged voter fraud claims forwarded to him from various sources nationwide. Although uncertain about the credibility of these reports, he insisted they warrant investigation.

Wilders also called for an investigation into what he said was “a stream” of claims of alleged voter fraud sent to him from sources from all over the country. He said he had no idea whether the reports had substance but that they should be investigated.

Denial of vote fraud

One of the municipalities mentioned in the messages, Zaanstad, immediately denied the incidents described.

“There is no truth to these messages. Voting has happened carefully, with oversight,” a spokesperson for the town north of Amsterdam told newspaper AD.

The D66 tripled its seat count with an upbeat campaign and a surge in advertising spending, while Wilders lost a large part of the support that had propelled him to a shock victory at the previous poll in 2023.

Still, Wednesday’s election turned into a nailbiter, as preliminary results indicated a narrow victory for D66, while the PVV briefly pulled ahead towards the end of the count.

Although all mainstream parties had already ruled out working with him, Wilders had said he would demand to have a first crack at forming a coalition if his party was confirmed to have the most votes.

Confirmation of the result will come on Monday, when mail ballots cast by Dutch residents living abroad are counted.

Party leaders will discuss the next steps on Tuesday.