Wednesday’s Dutch elections promise to shake up the Netherlands, with outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte announcing his retirement from politics after more than 13 years at the helm, a record.
With polls still suggesting with less than a week to go before the vote a neck-and-neck battle between the favorites, and the next government almost certainly going to be a coalition, here are the main candidates vying to lead the EU’s fifth-largest economy.
Dilan Yesilgoz (center-right, VVD)
Dilan Yesilgoz, of Turkish origin, arrived in the Netherlands at the age of eight, taking only what her mother could fit in her bag before boarding a boat bound for Greece.
Now aged 46, this former refugee who defends a firm position on limiting the number of asylum seekers hopes to become the first Dutch Prime Minister.
The daughter of a trade unionist, she initially oscillated between several left-wing parties before joining the center-right VVD, denouncing the “condescending” attitude of other parties.
She experienced a meteoric rise there: first on the Amsterdam city council, then as a minister with portfolios such as Energy, Climate and Economy.
Minister of Justice in the outgoing coalition, she was chosen as candidate for Prime Minister after the surprise resignation of Mark Rutte.
She quickly sparked controversy by not excluding a coalition with Geert Wilders and his far-right anti-Islam PVV party.
Regularly present on political television shows, she is widely followed on social networks… with her dogs.
Nicknamed “the pit bull in stiletto heels” by the daily De Volkskrant, she recently showed her appetite for combat by stepping into the ring for a training session with kickboxer, Rico Verhoeven.
“After a few years in public, we know more about his private life than about Rutte during all his years as prime minister,” De Volkskrant noted.
Pieter Omtzigt (NSC)
Pieter Omtzigt’s supporters see him as a messianic figure, an honest intermediary between citizens and political leaders, capable of cleaning Dutch politics of its scandals.
This 49-year-old polyglot arrived relatively late in the election race, having only founded his New Social Contract (NSC) party in August, while his program was only published a few weeks before the election. .
He rose to prominence as a whistleblower in 2021, the year which saw the fall of the third Rutte government following a scandal in which thousands of parents were wrongly accused of fraudulently claiming family allowances – sometimes after racial profiling.
He is riding the aspiration of Dutch voters for more integrity in politics.
“The way we do politics has led to a lot of crises, but no solutions,” he told AFP in an interview.
“We do not want power, we want influence,” stressed Mr. Omtzigt, who has assured several times that he does not want to become Prime Minister. But if his party wins the election, he may not have a choice.
Frans Timmermanss (GroenLinks-PdvA)
The 62-year-old former vice-president of the European Commission hopes his climate experience and knowledge will propel him to the post of prime minister.
Cyclist, father of four children whose mastery of several languages impresses even in the Netherlands, Frans Timmermans leads an alliance between the Greens and the Social Democrats.
ADVERTISEMENTFrom 2019, he spearheaded the European “Green Deal”. In Brussels, his qualities as a former head of diplomacy proved useful in advancing his projects against opponents on the right of the political spectrum.
But his experience in the EU could work against him in the Netherlands, where many oppose EU interference, particularly in agricultural policy.
The “Farmer–Citizen Movement” (BBB), which won a resounding victory in regional elections in March, is exactly opposed to the policy advocated by Mr Timmermans in Brussels.
