Rutte Wins Dutch Election With Signs of Softening on Europe
- Pro-European group D66 came in second place with 24 seats
- Populist Geert Wilders slips to third place with 17 seats
Mark Rutte casts his ballot at a polling station in The Hague on March 17.
Photographer: Bart Maat/AFP/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte won a clear victory in Wednesday’s national election to secure a fourth term in office, with early results showing the country may be ready for a more conciliatory relationship with the rest of Europe after the traumas of the pandemic.
Rutte’s center-right party, the VVD, won 36 seats in the 150-strong parliament, up from 33 in 2017, with the pro-European group D66 in second place with 24 seats, according to a projection early Thursday by Dutch news agency ANP with 63% of votes counted.