Netherlands Swears In First Openly Gay Prime Minister

The Netherlands has inaugurated Rob Jetten, a 38-year-old centrist politician, as its new prime minister — making him both the youngest person and the first openly gay individual to hold the office.

Jetten’s rise to power came as something of a surprise, having mounted a comeback victory in October’s elections to narrowly edge out Geert Wilders and his far-right Freedom Party (PVV) in a tight race.

Taking office 117 days after the general election, Jetten steps into the role previously held by Dick Schoof, whose government fell apart in the summer of 2025, prompting early elections. Jetten’s Democrats 66 (D66) party managed to secure a slim win over Wilders’ PVV.

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The new prime minister now heads a three-party coalition comprising D66, the center-right Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA), and the liberal People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD).

However, the alliance holds only 66 of parliament’s 150 seats, leaving Jetten reliant on support from opposition parties from the outset.

On the policy front, the new government has outlined significant plans to increase defense spending, committing billions of additional euros to the military in pursuit of NATO’s 5 percent GDP spending benchmark.

Jetten’s administration also intends to move forward with its high-profile agenda to substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the country’s large livestock sector.