The Netherlands has been at the centre of a political shake-up in recent weeks, with the vote count only just finalised.

For 24 hours after the polls closed, the election was too close to call. Now, the results are in: Rob Jetten’s D66, a liberal and progressive political party, has won the election by a margin of 29,668 votes, out of roughly 13.5 million eligible voters, ahead of Geert Wilders’ PVV, a far-right anti-immigration party.

This marks the tightest race in Dutch political history. Moreover, the apparent shift away from support for the far-right and anti-immigration policies could serve as an example for other European nations.

The rise and evolution of Dutch populism

The Netherlands prides itself on being a tolerant and welcoming society, yet it has also grappled with significant anti-immigration sentiment that fuelled the rise of Dutch populism. In the early 2000s, sociology professor Pim Fortuyn emerged as the country’s first prominent far-right populist, advocating for stricter immigration policies, particularly in relation to Muslims. He argued that such measures were necessary to protect Dutch culture and freedoms. Fortuyn’s slogan, “at your service”, quickly became widely recognised throughout Dutch society during this period.

Fortuyn’s political party, the LPF (‘List Pim Fortuyn’), rapidly gained popularity, but its strong right-wing populist advocacy was brought to an abrupt halt when Fortuyn was assassinated in May 2002. Remaining on the ballot as a posthumous candidate, Fortuyn’s LPF secured 26 out of 150 seats in Parliament during the 2002 election. However, due to significant internal conflict within the party, the LPF eventually ceased to exist in 2008.

Four years after the LPF’s major victory, Geert Wilders founded his Partij voor de Vrijheid (PVV), or Freedom Party, in 2006. Mirroring the LPF’s approach, Wilders attributed many Dutch domestic problems to immigration, European Union regulations, and, most notably, to Islam. Despite widespread pushback and even a conviction for inciting hatred against the Dutch Moroccan population and other non- Western immigrants because of their race or ethnicity, Wilders’ party won the Dutch elections in 2023, securing 37 out of 150 seats.

Wilders chose Dick Schoof, a senior public servant, to serve as prime minister and formed a coalition committed to halting immigration. Wilders’ coalition attempted to declare an asylum crisis to block all incoming asylum applications and aimed to restrict the immigration of work migrants, disregarding the fact that some of his proposals violated European law.

Beyond legal concerns, Wilders and the PVV demonstrated little flexibility and proved unco-operative with other political parties, ultimately leading Wilders to withdraw from the coalition and trigger new elections, scheduled for 29 October 2025.

Navigating Fragmentation: D66’s Growth in a Changing Netherlands

The Netherlands is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary democracy. When Dutch citizens vote in national elections, they cast their ballots for a party on a national list rather than for candidates from local districts. The political landscape was fragmented: many parties, voter dissatisfaction, and the previous short-lived government raised the perception that change was needed. In the most recent election, voters could choose from 27 different political parties.

In 2023, Rob Jetten assumed the leadership of the D66 party. At 38, Jetten is a young and dynamic politician who is openly gay and a visible advocate for LGBTQ+ rights in the Netherlands. He previously served as a member of Parliament of D66 in the House of Representatives and was minister for Climate and Energy in the fourth Rutte cabinet. Jetten is well known for his progressive stances, particularly in the areas of climate policy, social equality and European co-operation.

Under Jetten’s leadership, the D66 gained significant support, increasing its representation in Parliament from 9 seats in 2023 to 26 seats in 2025. D66 benefitted from voters looking for an alternative to polarising populism. In addition to this, many mainstream parties had ruled out forming a coalition with the PVV, which made D66 the more viable centrist option.

Shifting the narrative: Jetten’s call for tolerance and progress

D66 ran on a forward-looking, optimistic tone (“it’s possible” / “Het kan wel”), contrasting with more negative or adversarial styles that other political parties expressed. What can be said is that Jetten addressed the core issues with Wilders’ sentiment at its heart and actively promoted the need for co-operation to address the core issues in Dutch society.

During the final debate before election day, Jetten faced Wilders and delivered a powerful statement that captured the prevailing sentiment within Dutch society.

Whilst addressing Wilders, Jetten stated:

“Over the centuries, we have become a proud nation, proud of our tolerance and our progress, from same-sex marriage to the Delta Works. The whole world looked to the Netherlands, that quirky little country that somehow always managed to impress.

But over the past 20 years, a veil of negativity has fallen over our nation. For two decades, we’ve seen nothing but angry, hateful tweets and messages spreading division and promoting a politics of hate. But let me tell you this: the young people here in this room will not accept you pretending to stand for Dutch identity. We define that Dutch identity ourselves.

This Wednesday, in the elections, we, together with all the positive forces of the Netherlands, will defeat you, decisively.” [author’s translation]

That statement strikes at the core of the Netherlands’ fragmented political landscape. Right-wing politics are not confined to Trump’s US; they have also shaped elections across Europe. The Netherlands is far from alone in seeing political figures like Wilders attract millions of votes; France, Austria and Italy, among others, have witnessed the rise of populism. The Dutch election results of 29 October serve as a significant gauge of public sentiment towards the right.

There are (at least) two key takeaways from this election result. Firstly, for the Netherlands, the close victory and continued strong support for the PVV pose a difficult challenge for D66 in satisfying the diverse electorate. Secondly, this outcome may mark a turning point for European politics, which have been drifting towards the right. Who knows, this Dutch election could well influence political dynamics in other European countries.

About the author: Dr Lisanne Adam is a lawyer, academic and Dutch citizen.

The views expressed in this article may or may not reflect those of Pearls and Irritations.