The centrist D66 party has won a knife-edge Dutch election, local news agency ANP projected on Friday, saying their vote tally showed far-right leader Geert Wilders could not close the gap.
That would put D66 leader Rob Jetten on track to become the youngest leader of the EU’s fifth-largest economy, but lengthy coalition negotiations lie ahead.
ANP‘s projections were immediately cited by multiple Dutch news outlets, including public broadcaster NOS.
With just one constituency and overseas postal votes still to be counted, Jetten holds a lead of 15,155 votes over Wilders.
The postal votes are already being counted in The Hague, but the result will not be announced before Monday evening at the earliest.
Expats have historically voted for more centrist and left-wing parties. At the last election in 2023, the D66 outscored the PVV by nearly 3,000 postal votes.
Dutch voters signal Europe’s centre is far from dead
AMSTERDAM – Has populism peaked? Dutch voters’ unexpected abandonment of far-right firebrand Geert Wilders on…
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