Anti-immigration hardliners tie with pro-EU liberals in Dutch election
The liberal Democrats 66 (D66) party and the right-wing, anti-immigration Party for Freedom (PVV) are tied following Wednesday’s snap general election in the Netherlands.
With 98.6% of the ballots counted and a voter turnout of 78.4%, both D66 and PVV received 16.7% of the vote, according to the official tally cited by public broadcaster NOS.
According to projections by the ANP news agency, each party will secure 26 seats in the 150-seat House of Representatives.
Wilders, known for his anti-Islam views, led his party to a surprise victory in 2023. He withdrew from the ruling coalition last June after his partners refused to accept his plan to crack down on immigration, triggering the new election. Wilders’ ten-point proposal included turning away all asylum seekers, closing shelters, suspending family reunifications, and deploying the army to patrol the borders.
After exit polls published late on Wednesday suggested a slight lead for D66, Wilders said he had hoped “for a different outcome” and vowed to “fight more than ever.”
D66 leader Rob Jetten thanked his supporters. “The positive forces have won! I want to work for all Dutch people because this country is for all of us!” he wrote on X.
Jetten said it would be “a logical option” to attempt to form a coalition with the center-right People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), which received 14.1% of the vote, the green-leftist alliance GL-PVDA (12.5%), and the Christian Democrats (11.7%).
The election campaign was dominated by debates over immigration, particularly the use of hotels to house asylum seekers, along with the housing crisis and a relatively high unemployment rate.
The Netherlands has seen several anti-migrant protests in recent years, including a demonstration in The Hague in September that led to clashes with police.
