Less than two years after Geert Wilders stunned the Dutch political landscape with a surprise electoral victory, the Netherlands once again finds itself at the ballot box. On October 27, 2025, Dutch voters are casting their votes in snap parliamentary elections, a direct result of Wilders’ decision to pull his Party for Freedom (PVV) out of a fractious ruling coalition just months after it was formed. The move sent shockwaves through the country’s political establishment, triggering a fresh contest for all 150 seats in the House of Representatives.
Wilders, a polarizing figure known for his anti-Islam and anti-immigration rhetoric, has lived under round-the-clock protection for more than two decades due to persistent death threats. His party’s withdrawal from the coalition government, which had been led by Prime Minister Dick Schoof—a civil servant hand-picked by Wilders—brought an abrupt end to what would become one of the shortest-lived administrations in Dutch history. According to Bloomberg, the coalition’s collapse in June 2025 set the stage for this week’s high-stakes election.
At the heart of the campaign is a familiar and fiery debate over immigration. Wilders has placed migration front and center, unveiling a 10-point plan that calls for a total halt to asylum-seekers entering the Netherlands. His proposals include turning people back at the borders with Belgium and Germany—a stance that has drawn both fervent support and fierce criticism. During a televised debate, Wilders declared, “The Netherlands has become one big asylum-seekers center,” a claim that resonated with some but alarmed others, who accused him of fueling division and chaos.
But immigration is not the only issue on voters’ minds. The country is grappling with a chronic shortage of affordable housing and soaring healthcare costs, both of which have become major campaign battlegrounds. Frans Timmermans, the former European Climate Commissioner and leader of the center-left Green Left-Labor Party bloc, has sought to shift the conversation. He argues that under the outgoing government, “No problem was solved, every problem got even bigger. So what we need to do is ... get this country working again and put this country on a social track.” His party’s platform includes an ambitious pledge to build 100,000 new homes annually—an attempt to address the housing crisis head-on.
Yet, for all the talk of social policy, it is the rightward drift of Dutch politics that has captured international attention. According to Léonie de Jonge, a professor of research on far-right extremism at the University of Tübingen, “We are definitely seeing a steady and global rise of the far right. It’s a global phenomenon, and the Netherlands is not immune to that.” The current election fits squarely within a broader European and worldwide trend, with established parties feeling the pressure to adopt tougher stances on migration in response to Wilders’ rise.
This shift has not come without turbulence. The past year has seen a spike in anti-immigrant protests, some of which have turned violent. In The Hague, rioters torched a police car and attacked the headquarters of a centrist political party, underscoring the volatility of the moment. In response to growing polarization, Dutch King Willem-Alexander, in a speech written by the outgoing government, called for a return to “the Dutch culture of compromise”—a tradition that has been sorely tested by recent events.
Restoring political stability has become a rallying cry for many. Henri Bontenbal, the leader of the center-right Christian Democrats, has campaigned on a promise to bring “decency” and “responsibility” back to Dutch politics. “What we have seen is two years of politics of division and chaos. What we want ... to present is a politics of hope and responsibility,” Bontenbal told The Associated Press during a campaign stop in Rotterdam. His party, which was not part of the previous coalition after a poor showing in 2023, is now polling strongly as voters search for an antidote to gridlock and infighting.
Despite Wilders’ prominence and his party’s previous win of 37 seats in late 2023, his path to forming a government remains fraught with obstacles. Most major parties—including Bontenbal’s Christian Democrats—have categorically ruled out joining a coalition with the PVV, citing concerns over democratic norms and Wilders’ incendiary style. As Bontenbal put it, Wilders’ party and the far-right Forum for Democracy “do not defend democracy, and it’s very important to defend democracy in these days.”
Should Wilders emerge victorious but fail to assemble a majority coalition, Dutch political tradition offers a few possible scenarios. University of Amsterdam professor Claes de Vreese explained to the AP, “If Wilders wins the vote and is unable to form a majority coalition, then a minority Cabinet could be an option. But that is a construction that hardly exists in the Dutch political tradition.” If that fails, the opportunity to form a government typically passes to the second-placed party, though the process is “more based on conventions and history than a ready-made plan.”
The uncertainty extends beyond the Netherlands’ borders. This week is a busy one for global politics and economics, with key meetings of the Bank of Canada, Bank of Japan, European Central Bank, and US Federal Reserve all taking place, as reported by Bloomberg. President Donald Trump is on a multi-country visit to Asia, and the APEC CEO Summit is being held in South Korea. Against this backdrop, the Dutch election stands out as a flashpoint in a world grappling with rising populism and shifting alliances.
For ordinary Dutch citizens, the stakes feel personal. Voter Herman de Jong, speaking to the AP while visiting a market in Rotterdam, voiced a sentiment shared by many: “We need stability, calmness, unity, something like that. I think the constant arguing between the parties isn’t good for the people.”
As polls close and the votes are tallied, one thing is clear: whatever the outcome, the Netherlands is headed for another coalition government—and likely months of negotiations to piece together a workable majority in the House of Representatives. The challenges ahead are daunting, but the Dutch electorate has rarely shied away from tough choices or spirited debate. With the future of migration, housing, and the very fabric of Dutch democracy at stake, all eyes are once again on The Hague.
