The progressive liberal party D66 is expected to receive the most votes in the early legislative elections this Wednesday, October 29, in the Netherlands, ahead of the leader of the Dutch extreme right, Geert Wilders, according to exit polls.
D66 is expected to win 27 of the 150 seats in Parliament, ahead of Wilders’ far-right party, PVV, which is expected to secure 25, according to an Ipsos poll cited by the agency France-Presse (AFP).
In the Netherlands, exit polls generally reflect the composition of Parliament quite accurately, but the distribution of seats can change as votes are counted.
Around 13.4 million Dutch citizens went to the polls today to elect the composition of the national Parliament, from which the future government coalition will emerge, in the third election held in the country in less than five years. The polls closed at 9:00 pm (8:00 pm in Lisbon).
Wilders, leader of the Party for Freedom (PVV), who was the favorite for much of the campaign, has lost strength in recent days.
In the polls before the elections, the PVV was expected to win between 24 and 28 seats, closely followed by the GL-PvdA (Greens, 22-26 seats) and the D66 (with 21-25 seats), which has been gaining ground thanks to the positive image of its leader, Rob Jetten.
Behind these are the CDA, the Christian Democratic Union (which is expected to win 18-22 seats), and the center-left VVD (Freedom and Democracy) (which is expected to have 15-19 seats), a party that governed for more than a decade under the leadership of Mark Rutte (current secretary general of NATO), while the eurosceptic JA21 occupies sixth place (9-12 seats).
The Parliament of the Netherlands has 150 seats, currently divided between 15 parties, a number that polls predict will remain after today’s vote, in which 27 parties participate.
According to polls, a coalition of at least four or five parties will be needed to reach the 76 seats needed for an absolute majority.
By mid-afternoon, 38% of the 13.4 million Dutch voters eligible to vote had already gone to the polls, two percentage points less than at the same time in the 2023 elections. The day passed without incident.
Final turnout in the 2023 elections was 77.7%, one of the highest levels in the last decade.
Wilders admits he expected “different result”
Geert Wilders has already admitted that he expected a different result. “The voters have spoken. We expected a different result, but we remained faithful to ourselves”, highlighted the leader of the Party for Freedom (PVV), favorite during much of the campaign, but which lost strength in the final stretch.
The former vice-president of the European Commission, Frans Timmermans, announced today his resignation from the leadership of the Green Left Alliance (GL-PvdA), following results below expectations.
“Tonight, I resign as party leader. It is with a heavy heart,” Timmermans said in a speech.
If this result is confirmed, the leader of D66, Rob Jetten, 38 years old and defender of Europe, could become prime minister.
Rob Jetten has risen in the polls in recent days thanks to an optimistic message and a strong presence in the media.
“I want to bring the Netherlands back to the heart of Europe because, without European cooperation, we will get nowhere”, he told AFP after voting in The Hague.
The Dutch elections were closely followed across Europe as they were expected to provide an assessment of the extent of the far-right’s rise across the continent, particularly in the United Kingdom, France and Germany.
According to exit polls, the PVV could lose 12 seats compared to its resounding electoral victory in 2023.
Regardless of the final outcome, Wilders is unlikely to become prime minister, as the other main parties have ruled out any future collaboration with the PVV leader, considering him unreliable or his views unacceptable.
Once the final result is known, a long period of negotiations will begin between the parties to form a coalition, a process that could take months.
Around 13.4 million Dutch citizens went to the polls today to elect the composition of the national Parliament, from which the future government coalition will emerge, in the third election held in the country in less than five years. The polls closed at 9:00 pm (8:00 pm in Lisbon).
The Parliament of the Netherlands has 150 seats, currently divided between 15 parties, a number that polls predict will remain after today’s vote, in which 27 parties participated.
According to polls, a coalition of at least four or five parties will be needed to reach the 76 seats needed for an absolute majority.
By mid-afternoon, 38% of the 13.4 million Dutch voters eligible to vote had already gone to the polls, two percentage points less than at the same time in the 2023 elections. The day passed without incident.
Final turnout in the 2023 elections was 77.7%, one of the highest levels in the last decade.