On Wednesday, Dutch voters will head to the polls to elect the next prime minister, with four major groups vying for the position to succeed outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte.
Here is an overview of the top candidates:
Leader of the Conservative VVD Party Dilan Yesilgoz
46-year-old Turkish-born Dilan Yesilgoz has the opportunity to become the first woman to lead the Netherlands as prime minister. Her People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) is currently in a tight race with main competitors in recent polls.
Yesilgoz has distanced herself from Rutte during the election campaign, advocating for stricter migration policies. She draws from her own experience of fleeing to the Netherlands as a child with her Turkish Kurdish activist parents.
Her focus on media presence is more notable than on policy expertise. Despite being a self-proclaimed workaholic, she dedicates time to sleep, exercise, and eating healthy.
Frans Timmermans, Leader of the Combined Labour and Green Left Ticket
Frans Timmermans, 62, returned to Dutch politics with the ambition of becoming prime minister after overseeing the European Union’s Green Deal. The Labour and Green Left (PvdA/GL) parties are polling well alongside VVD and the far-right Freedom Party (PVV).
Geert Wilders, Leader of the Far Right Freedom Party
Geert Wilders, 60, has attempted to soften his approach to attract voters in the current campaign. He is focusing on concerns over the cost of living, elderly care, and immigration limits. Despite his international notoriety for his anti-Islamic rhetoric, his party may have a shot at topping the vote.
Pieter Omtzigt, Leader of the Centre-Right NSC Party
Pieter Omtzigt, 49, is one of the Netherlands’ longest-serving parliamentarians. Known as a “political pit bull,” he has founded his own “New Social Contract” (NSC) party and is trailing slightly behind the three frontrunners in some polls.
Omtzigt has positioned himself as a centrist, advocating for conservative stances on immigration and climate change while focusing on leftist policies to reduce poverty and improve healthcare. His party’s primary goal is to reform lawmaking and policy.
He is known for his distinct regional accent and long commutes to his home, close to the German border.
(Reporting by Stephanie van den Berg and Toby Sterling; Editing by Ingrid Melander, William Maclean)
