It’s official — the Netherlands will be heading to the polls on Wednesday, October 29, 2025, for the next general election.
The caretaker cabinet has confirmed the date, following the recommendation of the Dutch Electoral Council (Kiesraad), reports the NOS.
The snap election was triggered after far-right leader Geert Wilders and his Partij voor de Vrijheid (PVV) pulled the plug on the fragile ruling coalition, in true Dutch political fashion, over a disagreement on immigration policy.
Why not sooner?
You might think, “October? That’s ages away!” And yes, it is — but there’s a reason for that.
According to outgoing Minister of the Interior, Femke Uitermark, the Netherlands simply needs the time. “In other countries, things can move a lot faster,” she said. “But you can’t compare those systems to ours.”
She continued to explain that, unlike some countries, the Netherlands places a strong emphasis on making sure that voters abroad can take part — and that new political parties get a fair shot at registering and running.
Will Wilders return?
That’s the big question.
Wilders shook up Dutch politics when his PVV party won the most seats — 37 out of 150 — in the November 2023 elections, stunning the political establishment and sending a very loud message on immigration and national identity.
After months of negotiations, he managed to cobble together a coalition with the centre-right VVD, the BoerBurgerBeweging (BBB), and the centrist NSC party. But there was a catch: in exchange for coalition support, Wilders agreed to give up his ambition of becoming prime minister.
Fast forward to now, and that coalition is history. Wilders bailed, frustrated by what he saw as foot-dragging on implementing “the strictest-ever” immigration policy. Critics, however, accused him of torpedoing the government over a made-up crisis.
Still, don’t count him out just yet. While polls suggest the PVV will lose a few seats compared to 2023 (estimated down to 28 or 30), Wilders remains a force to be reckoned with.
The election is shaping up to be a three-way race, with Frans Timmermans’ Left/Green alliance and the VVD close behind.
So what needs to happen before October?
Quite a lot, actually. For starters:
- Around 13.5 million voting passes need to be printed and posted.
- Municipalities have to recruit and train election volunteers.
- Suitable polling stations must be found and booked.
- Dutch voters living abroad need time to register and receive their absentee ballots.
Oh, and don’t forget the autumn holidays, which fall smack in the middle of possible prep time.
Parties need prep time, too
Political parties aren’t just sitting around until the big day. They’ve got manifestos to write, candidates to choose, and party congresses to organise — all of which take weeks of internal debate and back-and-forth.
The Electoral Council considered all of these moving parts before settling on the late-October date. And while technically the Dutch parliament could still object, the chances of that happening are basically zero.
What do you think will happen in this election? Tell us in the comments below!
