D66 leader Rob Jetten campaigned on a promise to resolve a housing shortage, invest in education and tackle immigration concerns. Getty Images
D66 leader Rob Jetten campaigned on a promise to resolve a housing shortage, invest in education and tackle immigration concerns. Getty Images
D66 leader Rob Jetten campaigned on a promise to resolve a housing shortage, invest in education and tackle immigration concerns. Getty Images
D66 leader Rob Jetten campaigned on a promise to resolve a housing shortage, invest in education and tackle immigration concerns. Getty Images

Dutch centrist Rob Jetten claims election victory over anti-Islam populist Geert Wilders


Thomas Harding
  • English
  • Arabic

Anti-Islam populist leader Geert Wilders has been defeated in the Netherlands general election, according to vote analysis.

His hard-right anti-immigration Freedom Party was neck and neck with the centre-left D66 led by the 38-year-old Rob Jetten, who is now likely to become the next Dutch prime minister.

According to the news agency ANP, the D66’s lead of 15,000 votes means that although a small number of votes are yet to be counted, Mr Wilders cannot win.

Mr Jetten said he was “very proud of this historic result” and now felt “a great responsibility” to form a stable government.

His victory had also “shown to the rest of Europe and the world that it is possible to beat the populist movements if you campaign with a positive message”.

Although Mr Wilders had led in the opinion polls, Mr Jetten led a positive campaign with the catchphrase “yes we can” helping him win the main Dutch cities including Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht

While both parties have 26 seats each, Mr Jetten’s liberals could also win another one taking them to 27 and the biggest party in parliament.

Freedom Party leader Geert Wilders had led his party to a surprise first-place finish two years ago. AFP
Freedom Party leader Geert Wilders had led his party to a surprise first-place finish two years ago. AFP

However, to govern he needs to form a coalition of 76 MPs in the 150-seat parliament, requiring the support of at least three other parties.

All major mainstream parties have ruled out governing with Mr Wilders after he brought down the last coalition led by his party, leaving him no viable path to a majority.

Mr Wilders, one of Europe's longest-serving populist leaders, is known for his anti-Islam stance and lives under constant police protection because of death threats.

He proposed denying all asylum requests – a move that would breach EU treaties, sending male Ukrainian refugees back to their homeland and halting development aid to finance energy and health care.

Two years ago he led his party to a surprise first-place finish in the election and formed an all-conservative coalition, although his partners refused to endorse him as prime minister. He brought the government down in June over its refusal to adopt his hardline measures.

Mr Jetten's popularity has surged in the past month, as he campaigned on a promise to resolve a housing shortage, invest in education and tackle immigration concerns.

D66 made the biggest gains and almost tripled its seats, and if he becomes prime minister, Mr Jetten will be the youngest in modern Dutch history.

Points to remember
  • Debate the issue, don't attack the person
  • Build the relationship and dialogue by seeking to find common ground
  • Express passion for the issue but be aware of when you're losing control or when there's anger. If there is, pause and take some time out.
  • Listen actively without interrupting
  • Avoid assumptions, seek understanding, ask questions

THE SPECS

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Transmission: six-speed automatic

Power: 165hp

Torque: 240Nm

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Cryptojacking: Compromises a device or network to mine cryptocurrencies without an organisation's knowledge.

Distributed denial-of-service: Floods systems, servers or networks with information, effectively blocking them.

Man-in-the-middle attack: Intercepts two-way communication to obtain information, spy on participants or alter the outcome.

Malware: Installs itself in a network when a user clicks on a compromised link or email attachment.

Phishing: Aims to secure personal information, such as passwords and credit card numbers.

Ransomware: Encrypts user data, denying access and demands a payment to decrypt it.

Spyware: Collects information without the user's knowledge, which is then passed on to bad actors.

Trojans: Create a backdoor into systems, which becomes a point of entry for an attack.

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Zero-day exploit: Exploits a vulnerability in software before a fix is found.

The Year Earth Changed

Directed by:Tom Beard

Narrated by: Sir David Attenborough

Stars: 4

Four-day collections of TOH

Day             Indian Rs (Dh)        

Thursday    500.75 million (25.23m)

Friday         280.25m (14.12m)

Saturday     220.75m (11.21m)

Sunday       170.25m (8.58m)

Total            1.19bn (59.15m)

(Figures in millions, approximate)

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The schedule

December 5 - 23: Shooting competition, Al Dhafra Shooting Club

December 9 - 24: Handicrafts competition, from 4pm until 10pm, Heritage Souq

December 11 - 20: Dates competition, from 4pm

December 12 - 20: Sour milk competition

December 13: Falcon beauty competition

December 14 and 20: Saluki races

December 15: Arabian horse races, from 4pm

December 16 - 19: Falconry competition

December 18: Camel milk competition, from 7.30 - 9.30 am

December 20 and 21: Sheep beauty competition, from 10am

December 22: The best herd of 30 camels

OPENING FIXTURES

Saturday September 12

Crystal Palace v Southampton

Fulham v Arsenal

Liverpool v Leeds United

Tottenham v Everton

West Brom v Leicester

West Ham  v Newcastle

Monday  September 14

Brighton v Chelsea

Sheffield United v Wolves

To be rescheduled

Burnley v Manchester United

Manchester City v Aston Villa

In the Restaurant: Society in Four Courses
Christoph Ribbat
Translated by Jamie Searle Romanelli
Pushkin Press 

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BMW M5 specs

Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor

Power: 727hp

Torque: 1,000Nm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh650,000

The specs

Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors

Power: Combined output 920hp

Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic

Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km

On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025

Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000

Tips for job-seekers
  • Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
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David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Global state-owned investor ranking by size

1.

United States

2.

China

3.

UAE

4.

Japan

5

Norway

6.

Canada

7.

Singapore

8.

Australia

9.

Saudi Arabia

10.

South Korea

Profile

Name: Carzaty

Founders: Marwan Chaar and Hassan Jaffar

Launched: 2017

Employees: 22

Based: Dubai and Muscat

Sector: Automobile retail

Funding to date: $5.5 million

GIANT REVIEW

Starring: Amir El-Masry, Pierce Brosnan

Director: Athale

Rating: 4/5

Updated: November 01, 2025, 4:29 AM