The Geert Wilders looks likely to be excluded from the next government of the Netherlands, which may soon be led by an openly gay prime minister. The elections saw Geert Wilders’ anti-Islam Freedom Party (PVV) lose ground, while support for the centrist Democrats 66 (D66), led by Rob Jetten, surged.

With 98% of the vote counted from Wednesday’s election, D66 and the PVV were locked in a tie early Thursday morning, each projected to win 26 seats in the 150-member lower house of parliament.

All smaller parties have ruled out forming a coalition with Wilders, who brought down the previous government. As a result, he appears to have no viable path to a majority.

Cheers and chants of “Yes, we can” erupted during D66’s election night celebration as supporters waved Dutch flags. “We have shown not only to the Netherlands but to the world that it is possible to defeat populist and far-right movements,(sic)” Rob Jetten, the D66 leader, told the crowd.

“Millions of Dutch people turned a page today and said goodbye to the politics of negativity, of hate, of the endless ‘No, we can’t.’”

For Geert Wilders, the result marked a steep decline from the 37 seats his anti-immigration PVV won in the 2023 election.

The Dutch election was seen as a test of whether the right-wing’s momentum in Europe would continue or begin to fade. The result may suggest its appeal may be reaching its limits, Reuters noted.

Difficult coalition talks ahead

Parties will now begin negotiations to form a new coalition government. With fewer than 3,000 votes separating the two leading parties, it may take several days before an official winner is confirmed — potentially delaying the talks.

Traditionally, the party with the most votes is invited first to attempt to form a coalition.

Exit polls initially showed a narrow lead for the progressive D66, but as the count continued, the PVV slightly closed the gap. Despite this, the outcome appears to pave the way for 38-year-old Rob Jetten to form a government — potentially becoming the youngest prime minister in Dutch history.

Wilders: “It’s not over yet.”

Wilders said he would still attempt to form a government if the PVV ultimately came first.

“As long as it’s not 100% clear, D66 cannot lead. We will do everything we can to prevent that,” he wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

Vote counting continues in parts of Amsterdam, which lean toward D66, as well as in the Limburg region, where the PVV traditionally performs strongly.