“The popularity of the 38-year-old Jetten has increased considerably in recent months,” writes Reuters. According to the news agency, he presented himself as an energetic leader who could now become the youngest Prime Minister of the Netherlands ever. Reuters also emphasizes that he could become the first openly gay prime minister.
House of Representatives elections 2025: view the results per municipality here
The Flemish newspaper De Morgen compares the campaign slogan of D66 (it is possible) with that of former American president Barack Obama: yes, we can. “That combination of optimism and ambition seems to be a recipe for success.”
‘Benefited from polished TV debate performances’
“Jetten’s party ran a very successful campaign and benefited from his polished performances during TV debates,” writes the BBC. According to the British broadcaster, Jetten’s participation in De Slimste Mens may also have contributed to his popularity.
The foreign media also extensively reflected on the loss of the PVV. According to the Italian Corriere della Sera, Dutch voters appear to have “rejected” Geert Wilders’ party in favor of the Liberals. The newspaper speaks of a surprising result.
The German Tagesschau emphasizes that Wilders will probably not be part of the government this time, because many other parties have ruled out cooperation with him.
The New York Times stated that D66 can bridge the gap between right and left. The American newspaper spoke to Simon Otjes, assistant professor of political science at Leiden University, among others, who called the result remarkable because of “the populist clouds hanging over the rest of Europe.” According to him, D66 had moved slightly to the right during the campaign and the Dutch political landscape is still divided.