Right-winger Geert Wilders admits defeat in Dutch elections

(Patria) - Dutch right-winger Geert Wilders today admitted defeat in a very close election, congratulating centrist candidate Rob Jetten, who at 38 is on his way to becoming the youngest Dutch prime minister.

Wilders congratulated Jetten on his victory in front of journalists, saying that he has a 28,000-vote lead, with minimal chances of that changing.

Wilders had earlier made unsubstantiated claims on social media that there were irregularities in the election.

The Dutch centrist party D66 (Democrats 66, a social-liberal party) won the most votes in the general election held last Wednesday.

Negotiations to form a coalition government are a process that usually takes months in the Netherlands.

The pro-European liberal D66 tripled its number of seats thanks to an optimistic campaign and increased investment in advertising, while Wilders lost a large part of the support that enabled his surprising election victory in 2023.