The Hague, Netherlands – In a stunning rebuke to far-right populism, liberal leader Rob Jetten, 38, is on the fast track to become the Netherlands’ youngest-ever prime minister – and the first openly gay one in the nation’s history. His D66 party’s razor-thin election win on October 29, 2025, clinched by a mere 28,455 votes over Geert Wilders’ anti-immigration Party for Freedom (PVV), has ignited a wave of optimism in a fractured Europe. Jetten’s rallying cry – “Het kan wel” (“It is possible”) – resonated with voters exhausted by division, housing crises, and climate inaction, propelling D66 from a dismal nine seats in 2023 to a projected 35 in the 150-seat parliament.
The cliffhanger finish came down to expat ballots tallied in The Hague on November 3, tipping the scales against Wilders, whose PVV had surged in 2023 but stalled amid coalition roadblocks. “Millions of Dutch people turned a page today: goodbye to negativity, hello to progress,” Jetten declared to ecstatic supporters in Leiden, his voice steady but eyes alight. The former climate minister, once mocked as “Robot Jetten” for his stiff debating style, reinvented himself as a charismatic “yes we can” optimist – drawing Obama-esque crowds with promises of affordable homes, green jobs, and EU unity.
Born in 1987 in Utrecht, Jetten’s journey reads like a progressive fairy tale. A ProRail manager by trade, he entered politics in 2017, rising to junior climate minister under Mark Rutte. Out since his teens, Jetten met his fiancé, Argentinian Olympic hockey star Nicolás Keenan, 33, in a Rotterdam supermarket in 2021 – their “bromance” TikToks went viral, humanizing the polished politico. The couple, set to wed in August 2026, symbolizes Jetten’s push for LGBTQ+ rights; he’s vowed to enshrine same-sex marriage protections and combat rising homophobia.
But the road ahead is thorny. With no outright majority, Jetten must forge a centrist coalition – likely with the Greens, Labor, and CDA – excluding Wilders’ PVV, which all mainstream parties have shunned. Housing (a 400,000-unit shortage) and immigration remain flashpoints; Wilders cried foul, calling the win “stolen” by “globalist expats.” Yet experts like University of Amsterdam’s Matthijs Rooduijn hail Jetten’s “pragmatic vision” for bridging divides.
Across the pond, American liberals are buzzing. “In a world of Trumps and chaos, Jetten’s win is a breath of fresh air,” tweeted California Gov. Gavin Newsom. X lit up with #HetKanWel (1.8 million posts), memes blending Jetten’s selfies with rainbow flags and windmills. Pundits call it Europe’s “blue wave” moment – a blueprint against populism.
For a nation of tulips and tolerance, Jetten’s ascent isn’t just historic; it’s hopeful. As he told supporters: “Unity isn’t a slogan – it’s our strength.” If confirmed by week’s end, Prime Minister Jetten could redefine Dutch – and European – politics. Het kan wel, indeed.
