End of an era: The right-wing liberal Mark Rutte was prime minister for a good 13 years. Now he is no longer competing. A head-to-head race is emerging. And the right-wing populist Wilders senses opportunities.
The “torentje” in The Hague is the most famous address in the Netherlands, the official residence of the Prime Minister. The medieval tower with a view of the farm pond has been Mark Rutte’s empire for more than 13 years. But now his successor is being sought. On Wednesday, the Dutch will elect a new parliament, setting the course for a new era – without Rutte.
After just 18 months, his center-right coalition collapsed in the summer following a dispute over migration policy. It was Rutte’s fourth government, and the 56-year-old announced his departure from national politics shortly afterwards. Many followed suit. Almost all parties are now running with new top candidates. But one of them steals the show: Pieter Omtzigt.
Pieter Omtzigt
The 49-year-old has been a member of the second chamber of parliament for a good 20 years – for the Christian Democrats until 2021. It wasn’t until August that he founded his own conservative party: NSC – New Social Contract. And this means he achieves top results in the polls.
“Omtzigt is a phenomenon,” says Sheila Sitalsing, political commentator for the newspaper De Volkskrant. “He’s boring, colorless, a kind of anti-hero.” He’s not particularly keen on making decisions either. He even doubts whether he even wants to become prime minister. “For me it’s about the content, not the power,” he says. Omtzigt wants the country to be run differently and better. His main theme is also as sexy as a hot water boiler: renewal of administration.
But that strikes a chord with voters, even if no one knows exactly what should actually be different. “There is great dissatisfaction,” says Peter Kanne, a pollster at the I&O Institute in Amsterdam. “Many people think that the country doesn’t function well, that the state doesn’t deliver anymore: with the police, schools, the health system.” There have also been major affairs in recent years.
Omtzigt as Savior?
The child benefit affair is symptomatic of the state’s failure. An estimated 25,000 parents had to pay tens of thousands of euros for alleged fraud simply because they had made small formal errors. The consequences for the families were catastrophic. In 2021, the third Rutte government resigned because of this.
One of the politicians who has stubbornly campaigned for the victims for years is Pieter Omtzigt. And that gives him credibility, says publicist Sitalsing. “The voters trust him and see him as a kind of savior.” Some people already call him “Saint Pieter.”
“For the first time in over 20 years, the established power in The Hague is being challenged from the center,” says Sitalsing. And not from a dazzling right-wing populist, as there have been many in recent years. Rather, he is an economist who knows the tax laws inside out. “Omtzigt is socially acceptable because he remains decent,” says Kanne. He doesn’t have any radical positions. “He’s not racist and doesn’t offend anyone.”
Dilan Yesilgöz
But it’s a head-to-head race. The current right-wing liberal justice minister, Dilan Yesilgöz (46), could be the first woman to move into the “torentje”. At least on the outside she is the exact opposite of Omtzigt. Dilan, as she likes to imagine, balances skillfully on dizzyingly high heels or appears combative in the boxing ring at the gym on social media.
She is also called “pit bull on heels” in the media. She seems to like that. With a beaming smile and skillfully placed oneliners, she is delivering a perfect election campaign and could be the successor to her party colleague Rutte.
This is also a mystery for many observers. Why does the People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), which has been in power so far, not have to fear that voters will be punished? This party in particular is blamed for scandals and poverty, housing shortages and problems in the health system. Many are happy that Rutte is leaving, the man with the great talent of simply laughing away problems. “Many VVD voters are doing well economically,” says election researcher Kanne, “and they don’t want any big changes.”
Yesilgöz distinguishes itself with a firmly right-wing course. Migration is her big issue and she wants to curb it. This is strange for someone who fled from Turkey to the Netherlands with his parents as a child.
Frans Timmermans
The VVD managed to make migration a top issue in this election, and that pushes climate protection into the background. The alliance between the Social Democrats and the Greens is particularly suffering from this. They were hoping for a change of power after 13 years of Rutte and are running together for the first time.
Top candidate Frans Timmermans (62) seemed the ideal man for a left-wing comeback. He gave up his position as EU climate commissioner to become prime minister. But the polls are disappointing. He lags well behind Omtzigt and Yesilgöz. Instead of a left-wing comeback, there is a clear shift to the right.
Four parties are probably needed for a majority in the 150-seat Second Chamber. The moderate Omtzigt and the right-wing liberal Yesilgöz would probably govern together and are looking for partners on the right.
Geert Wilders
And that’s where right-wing populist Geert Wilders (60) comes into play for the first time in a long time. So far, almost all parties have excluded him because of his agitation against Islam. Although Omtzigt still has concerns, the VVD is open to cooperation. Wilders senses his chance. The right-winger launched a charm offensive and even mothballed his fight against Islam. “It’s not a priority at the moment,” he says – his new nickname: “Geert Milders”.