Exit poll projections are historically a good indicator of Dutch election final results.
D66, the progressive liberal party led by 38-year-old former climate minister Jetten, surged in recent weeks. Known for its pro-EU, climate-focused agenda, the party has positioned itself as a moderate alternative to both the far right and traditional center-right.
In Leiden, D66’s election viewing party welcomed the first exit poll with thunderous cheers, as the crowd chanted “it is possible” — the party’s campaign slogan.
Fighting Wilders
The election comes just two years after the Netherlands’ last vote, when the far-right Freedom Party (PVV) of Geert Wilders secured a shock victory and a place in power for the first time.
The government, which also included the liberal People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), the centrist New Social Contract (NSC) and the populist Farmer-Citizens Movement (BBB), was marked by infighting and collapsed less than a year into its term when Wilders pulled his party out of the coalition over a dispute on asylum policy.
Migration and the Netherlands’ major housing crisis were hot topics in the runup to Wednesday’s vote. But campaigns also revolved around the question of stable leadership, with parties staking out positions against the anti-migration PVV and ruling out a new collaboration with Wilders.