Dutch parliamentary elections of October 2025

The election followed the fall of an experimental four-party coalition under nonpartisan prime minister Dick Schoof and without the leaders of the four coalition partners in the cabinet. The campaign followed the standard Dutch pattern: low costs and an emphasis on televised debates. The election ended in a close race between D66 and Geert Wilders’ PVV. D66 gained spectacularly (from 9 to 26 seats) while PVV lost considerably (from 37 to 26 seats). The NSC lost all of its twenty seats in Parliament and the Christian Democratic Appeal made a comeback (up from 5 to 18 seats). The government formation process, led by D66, was difficult, as at least two relevant parties refused to cooperate in coalitions including some other parties. In the end, D66, VVD, and CDA formed the first true – without support agreement – minority cabinet in Dutch history. The Netherlands have entered a new experiment.