Dutch liberal party overtakes far-right nationalists in snap parliamentary election
Editor's Note: This is a developing story.
The Netherlands' liberal Democrats 66 (D66) party holds a narrow lead over the far-right Party for Freedom (PVV) in a neck-to-neck election race, the Dutch public broadcaster NOS reported on Oct. 30.
With nearly all votes counted, D66 and PVV are set to win 26 seats in the parliament.
The result marks a major setback for Geert Wilders's PVV, which lost around one-third of its seats, while other parties have already ruled out cooperation with the far-right party.
PVV was a member of the ruling coalition until it exited in June, necessitating a snap election.
The result marks a historic comeback for the liberal-progressive D66 faction, which won only nine seats in the Netherlands' 2023 parliamentary elections.
The vote also signals dissatisfaction with the far-right, anti-immigration PVV.
Wilders has spoken out against Ukrainian refugees, saying that they were coming to the Netherlands for "free housing, free healthcare, and our jobs." He has also voiced opposition to sending financial support and fighter jets to Kyiv, arguing they should be used for domestic needs.
D66, led by 38-year-old Rob Jetten, may form a coalition government that excludes the far-right factions altogether.
The conservative-liberal People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) is projected to come in third with 22 seats, the left-wing GroenLinks-PvDA in fourth place with 20, and the conservative Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) in fifth place with 18.
Ten more parties are set to enter parliament, including the right-wing JA21 and the far-right Forum for Democracy (FvD) parties, which will hold nine and seven seats, respectively.
