Monday, February 23 2026 - The new Dutch government has sworn in 38-year-old centrist Rob Jetten as the country's youngest-ever prime minister and the first openly gay one.
Mr. Jetten pulled off a stunning election win in October, coming from
behind to dethrone the far-right Freedom Party (PVV) led by firebrand
politician Geert Wilders by a razor-thin margin.
Jetten takes office 117 days after last year’s general election and is
also the first openly gay Dutch leader.
He succeeds Dick Schoof, whose government collapsed in the summer of 2025,
triggering snap elections. Jetten’s party scored a narrow victory over the
far-right Party for Freedom (PVV) led by Geert Wilders.
Jetten now leads a coalition made up of his own Democrats' 66 (D66), the
center-right Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA), and the liberal People’s Party
for Freedom and Democracy (VVD). Together, the three parties control just 66 of
the 150 seats in parliament, meaning that the new prime minister will depend on
opposition support from day one.
His government is planning a big splurge on defense, pouring billions more
euros into the military to reach the NATO spending target of 5 percent of gross
domestic product.
Jetten’s government will also press ahead with closely watched plans to
slash back emissions from the Netherlands’ massive livestock industry
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