The liberal-progressive party D66 has emerged as the winner of the Netherlands’ general election, according to preliminary results reported by the Dutch news agency ANP. The outcome positions the party’s 38-year-old leader, Rob Jetten, to become the country’s youngest-ever prime minister.

Although final ballots were still being counted on Friday, Dutch media said Geert Wilders’ anti-immigration Party for Freedom (PVV) could no longer overtake D66. The result signals a shift away from the hard-right coalition that collapsed earlier this year.

D66 is expected to take the lead in the first round of coalition negotiations, a process that traditionally takes months in the Netherlands’ fragmented political landscape.

Both D66 and Wilders’ PVV had initially been projected to win 26 seats in Wednesday’s snap election, which centered on housing, healthcare, immigration, and leadership competence. ANP later reported that D66 would likely secure one additional seat, bringing its total to 27.

All major parties had ruled out forming a government with Wilders, whose far-right bloc previously led what he called “the most rightwing government ever.” That coalition lasted less than a year before collapsing amid disputes over his hardline immigration agenda.

End of the far-right coalition

While Wilders’ defeat marks the end of his short-lived administration, analysts cautioned that the far-right’s influence remains strong. Support has merely splintered among smaller nationalist and populist parties, leaving political trust at historic lows,  around 4%, according to experts.

By convention, the leader of the largest party spearheads coalition talks. Yet with many former PVV voters turning to newer far-right movements such as JA21 and Forum for Democracy, Jetten faces a complex path to forming a stable majority.

Speaking on Friday, Jetten appealed for unity across mainstream parties. “Voters have clearly indicated the need for cooperation,” he said. “We want to find a majority that will eagerly work on issues such as the housing market, migration, climate and the economy.”

Léonie de Jonge, a far-right extremism specialist at the University of Tübingen, said the victory was significant but did not simplify the political landscape. “D66 gets to initiate the formation of the government, but still I think the underlying message of the election is that the far right is not defeated,” she said. “I think the real challenge is moving forward, forming a government with the increasingly fragmented landscape that Dutch politics now constitutes.”

Coalition challenges ahead

A coalition combining D66 with the centrist Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA), the conservative-liberal VVD, and the GreenLeft-Labour alliance would command the strongest parliamentary position. However, VVD leader Dilan Yeşilgöz-Zegerius said during the campaign that governing with left-wing parties was something she “did not see happening.”

Despite those obstacles, Jetten’s dynamic debating style, polished image, and optimistic campaign messaging helped secure a historic win.

“D66 managed to attract voters from all directions, drawing in both left- and right-leaning supporters,” said Matthijs Rooduijn, a populism expert at the University of Amsterdam. “Many GreenLeft-Labour voters were dissatisfied with their own party leader but responded positively to Jetten and D66’s upbeat ‘It can be done’ campaign.”

“At the same time, D66’s tougher stance on immigration appealed to rightwing voters from VVD, NSC, and even PVV, making its current electorate more diverse,  and more critical and negative about immigration,” he added.