Netherlands to Hold General Elections in October
Political ads in the Netherlands. X/ @TRTWorldNow
June 6, 2025 Hour: 8:19 am
The ruling coalition broke up over a dispute over asylum policies.
On Friday, outgoing Interior Minister Judith Uitermark announced that the Netherlands will hold new general elections on October 29. The Dutch government collapsed earlier this week.
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The Electoral Council proposed the date to the outgoing minister, who accepted the recommendation and submitted it to the Council of Ministers the same day. The council approved the proposal, making the election date official.
After the government fell on Tuesday, members of the House of Representatives pushed for new elections as soon as possible. Until then, the outgoing caretaker cabinet without the Party for Freedom (PVV), which withdrew from the coalition over disagreements on migration policy, will continue handling day-to-day affairs.
The Electoral Council considered Oct. 29 as the earliest feasible date for elections. Factoring in the summer holidays and the standard three-month preparation period, this date allows municipalities and political parties sufficient time to organize.
The last general elections were held on Nov. 22, 2023, during which, the far-right PVV won 37 of the 150 seats in the House of Representatives, becoming the largest party for the first time in history.
The GreenLeft-Labor alliance (GroenLinks-PvdA) came in second with 25 seats, followed by the right-wing People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) with 24, and the centrist newcomer New Social Contract (NSC) garnered 20 seats.
The government led by Prime Minister Dick Schoof was sworn in on July 2, 2024, comprising the PVV, NSC, VVD, and the Farmer-Citizen Movement (BBB). However, the coalition collapsed Tuesday when PVV leader Geert Wilders withdrew his party from the government over a dispute regarding asylum policies.
teleSUR/ JF
Source: Xinhua