For the first time in a long while, it remained unclear for several days which party had received the largest number of votes. Democrats ‘66 (D66) and the Freedom Party (PVV) were very close. Now that nearly all the votes have been counted, it has been confirmed that D66 received the largest number of votes. However, the margin is small.

D66 has appointed Wouter Koolmees to lead initial discussions on forming the coalition needed to achieve a parliamentary majority. After these discussions have been completed, the process of forming a government will begin. During this process, steps will be taken to find out which parties are prepared to work together in government. A number of parties previously stated that they did not wish to form a coalition with the PVV.

Until the new government is formed and sworn in, the current government will remain in place in a caretaker capacity. They will deal with ongoing matters, but will not take any new policy decisions. The process of forming a government is expected to take several months.