Netherlands names its youngest, first openly gay prime minister ever

Rob Jetten was sworn in Monday as the Netherlands’ youngest-ever prime minister and the first openly gay leader to hold the office, capping a snap election season that reordered Dutch politics and sidelined far-right firebrand Geert Wilders.

The 38-year-old centrist and his cabinet took the oath before King Willem-Alexander at Huis Ten Bosch in The Hague, ushering in a new government formed by Jetten’s D66 with the center-right CDA and liberal VVD. The coalition holds 66 seats—nine short of a majority—forcing Jetten to seek support from opposition parties to pass legislation.

Jetten’s ascent followed a stunning October victory in which D66 edged Wilders’ Freedom Party (PVV) by a razor-thin margin. The snap vote was called after the PVV withdrew from the previous coalition—described as the most right-wing in recent Dutch history—which lasted just 11 months.

On the campaign trail, Jetten pitched a pro-European platform and an optimistic tone, declaring after his win that it was possible to beat populist movements “if you campaign with a positive message for your country.” He also vowed to “bring the Netherlands back to the heart of Europe because without European cooperation, we are nowhere.”

The trio’s January manifesto pledges full support for Ukraine and a commitment to meet NATO defense-spending targets, positioning the new cabinet firmly within the Western security mainstream. Yet the coalition’s program is not a sharp break from its predecessor on key domestic fronts, analysts say.

Although the government is not as far to the right as the last one, it still carries a “right-wing signature,” said Sarah de Lange, a professor of politics at Leiden University. “The coalition has opted for budget cuts rather than running a deficit to finance any investments it wants to make,” she said, adding there is “substantial continuity between the immigration plans of the new government and the previous one.”

The partners have vowed to press ahead with a migration crackdown, including tougher family-reunification rules. They also aim to trim social benefits—among them unemployment support—to help finance planned increases in military and defense spending.

The government’s minority status could complicate that agenda. With 66 seats, the coalition must assemble ad hoc majorities, a reality that “might take longer than usual” for passing larger reforms, De Lange said.

Jetten initially favored a broader alliance that included the left-leaning GroenLinks/PvdA bloc, but VVD leader Dilan Yesilgoz opposed that path, pushing negotiations toward the current three-party deal. While the formation kept Wilders away from power, it also reflected voter volatility and a fragmented parliament that has reshaped the Netherlands’ center ground.

Wilders—whose 2023 electoral surge shook Europe’s political establishment—was left on the sidelines. His PVV sank from 37 seats in 2023 to 26 after what was widely viewed as a lackluster campaign, still finishing second but unable to find partners willing to govern with him.

Other far-right groups have advanced. Forum for Democracy, led by 28-year-old Lidewij de Vos, gained four seats with a message railing against “uncontrolled immigration” and “the hopeless EU.” Hard-right JA21 jumped by eight seats and nearly reached the cabinet before being blocked by Jetten, underscoring the tensions shaping the new political order.

For now, Jetten’s government will test whether a pro-EU, fiscally restrained coalition can steer Europe’s fifth-largest economy through a security-heavy agenda while cooling domestic pressures over migration and welfare. The immediate task is legislative: converting a slim mandate and fragile alliances into workable majorities in the Tweede Kamer.

By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.