Rob Jetten could become the Netherlands’ youngest and first openly gay prime minister as his party takes lead in the polls
"Today, we achieved D66’s best result ever," said Jetten
By Aaron Sugg
Rob Jetten could become the Netherlands’ youngest and first openly gay prime minister, as his party, the centrist Democrats 66 (D66), appeared to be ahead in the polls as of early this morning (30 October).
With 98% of votes counted, both centre party D66 and Geert Wilders’ far-right Freedom Party (PVV) are predicted to win 26 seats each, with D66 in the lead by about 2,300 votes out of 10 million cast.
The 38-year-old Dutch politician, known for his progressive stance on climate action, equality, and social liberalism, celebrated the results, saying they show it’s possible to “defeat populist and far-right movements”.
“Today, we achieved D66’s best result ever” – Rob Jetten on taking the lead in the Dutch polls
In his victory speech after the 2025 election exit poll, he said: “Today, we achieved D66’s best result ever, and we may well be the largest party in the country… One thing is quite certain. Millions of Dutch people have turned a page today. They have turned the page on negativity, hatred, and the notion of it can’t be done.”
With 76 seats needed for a majority, forming a government will require at least four parties. All major mainstream parties have ruled out working with PVV after their exit from coalition earlier this year, leaving the far-right with no viable path to power.
Prior to the 2025 election, the Netherlands was led by Prime Minister Mark Rutte, head of the centre-right VVD party. He had been in power since 2010, but his coalition government collapsed in June 2025 following a dispute with far-right Wilders over policy proposals.
A new possible coalition could include D66, Christian Democrats (CDA), centre-right VVD and the Greens-Labour alliance.
Who is Rob Jetten?
Rob Jetten was elected parliamentary leader of his party in 2018, becoming D66’s youngest-ever leader. In 2022, he was appointed minister for climate and energy policy in the fourth cabinet of Mark Rutte (Rutte IV).
In August 2023, Jetten announced his campaign for party leader of D66, and following leadership changes, he became the party’s leader and lead candidate.
The main difference between the two roles is that a party leader serves as the overall head of the political party, while a parliamentary leader focuses on managing members of parliament within the legislature.
In the 2025 general election yesterday (29 October), D66 made major gains, putting Jetten on track to become the Netherlands’ youngest prime minister and its first openly gay one, if coalition government talks succeed.
“It’s bound to feed those feelings of anxiety and discontent in society” – Jetten on Netherland’s previous government
He has previously said in an interview with Dutch News: “As long as people get the sense that their lives are standing still because they’re not making progress, it’s bound to feed those feelings of anxiety and discontent in society, and it’s always easy in that climate to exploit that anxiety.”
During his campaign Jetten highlighted that his party signed a “Rainbow Agreement” with several other Dutch parties and LGBTQ+ advocacy group COC Netherlands, committing to strengthen community rights, this included re‑introducing the transgender law that had previously been withdrawn. The overturn ultimately made it harder for people to change their legal gender on their birth certificate.
Jetten is engaged to fiancé Nicolás Keenan, an Argentine international hockey player. The couple announced their engagement in November 2024, and are reportedly planning a wedding in summer 2026.
The final official results will be certified in the coming days, revealing whether LGBTQ+ history has been made.