The Dutch general election: here’s what you need to know
The Netherlands goes to the polls on Wednesday to elect a new lower house of parliament. Here is a list of useful resources to help you get to grips with the 2025 general election.
What’s at stake
The four-party Dutch coalition government collapsed in June when far right leader Geert Wilders pulled out, saying he was being thwarted in his efforts to bring in the “toughest asylum policy ever”.
Since then the Netherlands has been governed by a caretaker coalition, now made up of just the right wing VVD and the pro-countryside BBB.
On Wednesday, almost five months since the PVV pulled out, the Dutch will vote for 150 MPs and the result will, in turn, lead to the formation of a new government and the naming of a new prime minister.
Voting ends at 9pm and shortly afterwards broadcaster NOS will publish the first exit poll. The results will trickle in slowly but by midnight we should have an idea of which party is likely to be the biggest.
The polls suggest the far right PVV, the GroenLinks-PvdA alliance and D66 could all emerge as the winner. The PVV will not be part of a new coalition, which means Frans Timmermans or Rob Jetten are likely to be the next prime minister.
The Dutch political system
The biggest 15 political parties
How the election system works
The main issues: what the biggest six parties stand for
Climate and the environment
Housing
Immigration, racism and discrimination
Healthcare
The cost of living
Interviews and analysis
- Why Geert Wilders will never be prime minister
- The Netherlands has stood still for 15 years, says Rob Jetten
- How do Dutch political parties plan to boost spending on defence
- Crisis what crisis? Why do we have to wait five months to vote?
- People who pay taxes have the right to participate in democracy
Manifesto summaries
- Denk manifesto: discrimination ban and Israeli sanctions
- D66 manifesto: housing, benefit reform and democracy
- CDA nails housing colours to the mast
- PVV manifesto: asylum freeze, rent cuts, North Sea drilling
- NSC wants to raise minimum wage, simply taxes and build houses
- BBB manifesto: asylum limit and Council of State reform
- SP wants to boost the minimum wage and increase taxes on the rich
- VVD outlines economic focus and welfare cuts
- Shrink airports to make space for housing, says GL-PvdA
Voting aids (all in Dutch)
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