The centrist Dutch party D66 won the most votes in Wednesday’s general elections.
With nearly all votes counted, D66 can no longer be surpassed by the far-right Freedom Party (PVV), led by Geert Wilders, according to ANP, the Dutch news agency that compiles results from all municipalities, reported CNN.
D66 is now expected to lead the first round of coalition government talks, a process that typically lasts several months.
With around 18% of the vote, the party will need at least three coalition partners to secure a simple majority in the 150-seat Lower House of Parliament.
The pro-EU and liberal D66 tripled its number of seats through a positive campaign and increased advertising spending, while Wilders lost most of the support that had led to his surprise victory in the 2023 elections.
Although all major parties had already ruled out cooperating with him, Wilders had stated that he would seek the first opportunity to form a coalition if his party was confirmed as the vote winner.
Final confirmation of the results is expected on Monday, when postal votes from Dutch citizens living abroad will be counted. Party leaders are set to discuss the next steps on Tuesday.
