 "Far-right lawmaker Geert Wilders talks to the media after pulling his party out of the four-party Dutch coalition in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, June 3, 2025. AP File")
Days after far-right leader Geert Wilders pulled his Freedom Party out of the Dutch government after his coalition partners rejected his latest proposals to curb immigration, the Netherlands is set to hold a general election on October 29.
“We have officially set the election date: the… elections will take place on Wednesday 29 October 2025,” Interior Minister Judith Uitermark wrote on X.
“In the coming period, I will work with the municipalities and other stakeholders to prepare so that this important day in our democracy goes smoothly,” added the minister.
Polls show a tight race, with Wilders’ PVV running neck-and-neck with the Left-Green alliance led by former EU Commissioner Frans Timmermans. The liberal VVD party trails closely, setting the stage for a fiercely contested election.
Wilders had shocked the Dutch political landscape by winning 37 out of 150 seats in the November 2023 elections.
But in a fragmented political system where no single party can command a majority, he formed a four-party coalition with the VVD, the farmers’ BBB party, and the centrist NSC.
To secure the deal, Wilders gave up his bid for the premiership — but internal tensions, particularly over immigration, eventually brought the fragile coalition down.
With inputs from agencies