Rob Jetten’s centrist liberals lead Dutch election, exit poll says

Rob Gitten’s centrist Liberals have made a surprise lead in the Dutch election, according to major opinion polls, two years after his party fell to sixth place in the last vote.

Ceiten has mounted an eye-catching campaign in recent weeks, and an I&O Ipsos poll suggests his D66 liberals have won 27 seats, two more than anti-Islam populist Geert Wilders won in the last election.

The final result is very close, although Dutch polls are generally considered reliable.

They are trailed by three other parties, including the Conservative Liberals, the left-wing Green Labor Party, and the Christian Democrats.

Wilders had been leading in opinion polls throughout the election campaign, but after he withdrew his coalition in June, all mainstream leaders made it clear they did not want to work with him again.

Meanwhile, Cetin’s party mounted a highly successful campaign, building on his brilliant performance during the televised debates. The fact that the 38-year-old Liberal leader appeared on a game show during the election campaign has added to his profile.

There was clear excitement when party supporters gathered to watch the results in a hall in the city of Leiden, located between Amsterdam and The Hague.