Dutch parliamentary election results to be released today
The final results for the Netherlands’ parliamentary elections are expected to be released today.
On March 17, Dutch citizens voted to fill all 150 seats in the House of Representatives. Preliminary results suggest that current Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s People’s Party for Freedom (VVD) won the most seats, totaling 35. Now, the VVD has begun working with other parties to form a coalition government.
Rutte has requested that the new populist far-right party Juiste Antward 2021 (JA21) be included in the new coalition after having won three parliamentary seats. JA21’s inclusion would allow the VVD to establish a majority coalition in the House and a substantial presence in the Senate, allowing Rutte to wield significant influence in passing legislation.
Today’s second-place winner, the progressive-leaning Democraten 66 (D66) party will likely counter Rutte’s proposal as it is ideologically opposed to JA21 on important issues such as climate change and migration. D66 is essential for Rutte to establish a majority coalition as it currently holds 23 seats. In the short-term, it is likely that Rutte will attempt to negotiate with both parties to move forward. While other party options exist, only JA21’s inclusion comes with electoral presence in the Senate.
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