The 38-year-old’s D66 party is neck and neck with Geert Wilders’ far-right Freedom Party after Wednesday’s election, meaning he could become the country’s youngest-ever leader.
After a strong showing in Wednesday’s election, Rob Jetten, leader of the centrist liberal party D66, could become the Netherlands’ youngest prime minister. With 98% of the votes counted, the 38-year-old’s party is expected to win 26 seats in the 150-seat Dutch parliament — an increase of 11 seats compared to the previous election. On Thursday morning, D66 was tied with Geert Wilders’ far-right Party for Freedom (PVV), which is also expected to win 26 seats. The difference between them was just over 2,000 votes nationally. While Jetten is seen as the front-runner for the prime minister’s post, Wilders has said his party will “do everything” to prevent D66 from taking the lead in coalition talks as long as it remains unclear which party is the largest. Jetten, who appeared humorous during the campaign, has revived his party after a dismal start as leader in 2023. In that year’s election, his party won just nine seats.
Once nicknamed “Robot Jetten” for his rigid way of answering questions, the young politician – who served as climate minister in former Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s government – has now managed to win over voters with his positive messages. He was a frequent television presence during the election campaign, even taking part in a pre-recorded quiz called “The Smartest Man”. Referring to former US President Barack Obama’s slogan “Yes We Can”, Jetten based his campaign on the phrase “Het kan wel” (“It is possible”).
Jetten campaigned fervently for a return to “progressive” policies, focusing on green energy to reduce energy costs, building new cities to address the housing crisis, and streamlining the healthcare system by prioritizing disease prevention.
On the housing issue, the centrist politician said he wants to build 10 new cities and that streamlining bureaucratic procedures would enable the completion of 100,000 new homes each year. Meanwhile, on the sensitive issue of migration, Jetten promised to invest more in integration programs and fight illegal immigration by allowing asylum applications to be made from outside the EU. If elected, Jetten said his government’s policy would be to ensure that those fleeing war or violence actively participate in Dutch society by learning the language. He also promised that “bad apples” would be “taken out of the system” and deported. The D66 leader also successfully hit out at Wilders, whose party withdrew from the coalition last June over disagreements over migration – a move that brought down the government. Jetten accused his far-right opponent of “usurping” Dutch identity and “dividing society.”
Speaking to his supporters on election night, the prime ministerial candidate said: “Millions of Dutch people today chose positive forces and a politics in which we can look forward, together, again.” Jetten stressed that with around 26 seats in parliament, D66 – short for Democrats 66, named after the year it was founded, 1966 – is “a small, big party, if you compare it to Dutch political history.” “Therefore, we will have to cooperate with many parties,” he added. However, he has said he wants to “form a stable and ambitious cabinet” made up of a “broad political center.” His statements point to a possible cooperation with the left-wing GL-PvdA, the centrist CDA and the more conservative VVD. The potential prime ministerial candidate, who grew up in the southern Dutch province of Brabant, is expected to marry his Argentine fiancé, international hockey player Nicolas Keenan, next year.