Centrist D66 clinch close win in Netherlands election, Rob Jetten to be youngest Dutch PM

AMSTERDAM: The centrist D66 party has won the closely fought Dutch general election, according to the projections, which indicated that Geert Wilders' Freedom Party (PVV) are not able to bridge the narrow vote gap, France 24 reported, citing local news agency ANP.

The result positions D66 leader Rob Jetten to become the youngest Prime Minister of the European Union's fifth-largest economy, though extended coalition negotiations are expected before a new government takes shape.

As reported by France 24, ANP's projections show Jetten holding a slim lead of 15,155 votes over Wilders, with just one constituency and overseas postal ballots yet to be counted. The postal votes, currently being tallied in The Hague, are not expected to be fully announced until Monday evening.

Historically, overseas voters have tended to support centrist and left-leaning parties. In the previous 2023 election, D66 led PVV by about 3,000 postal votes.

On Tuesday, senior lawmakers will meet in parliament to appoint a "scout" -- a negotiator responsible for exploring potential coalition alignments. The leader of the largest party traditionally nominates the scout and spearheads the process of coalition building, which could extend over several months, France 24 reported.

Caretaker Prime Minister Dick Schoof will remain in office until a new government is formed. "I expect I will still be PM at Christmas," Schoof remarked earlier on Friday.

All major parties have ruled out cooperation with Wilders, who previously withdrew his PVV from the last coalition during a dispute over immigration policy. If confirmed as the election winner, Jetten will need to assemble a coalition commanding at least 76 seats in the 150-member parliament.

His most likely coalition path points toward a "grand alliance" with the centre-right Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) holding 18 seats, the liberal People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) with 22, and the left-wing Green/Labour bloc with 20. D66 currently holds 26 seats.

However, uncertainty remains over whether VVD and Green/Labour can cooperate. VVD leader Dilan Yesilgoz had stated before the election that working with Green/Labour "would not work," expressing preference for a centre-right partnership. The Green/Labour bloc will elect a new leader on Monday following the resignation of former EU vice-president Frans Timmermans, a move that could potentially ease coalition talks, France 24 reported.

While Wilders' support has weakened, other far-right parties saw gains. The nationalist Forum for Democracy (FvD), which advocates leaving the EU's Schengen free-movement system, more than doubled its representation to seven seats from three. However, Wilders has dismissed the idea of cooperating with FvD.