Rob Jetten sworn in as youngest-ever Dutch prime minister

DW News · Feb 23, 2026 · Collected from RSS

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Dutch King Willem-Alexander on Monday swore in a new minority coalition government, with centrist Rob Jetten as prime minister. Jetten becomes the youngest-ever and first openly gay prime minister in the Netherlands. His party, pro-EU D66, won the October's election, narrowly defeating the far-right populist Party for Freedom (PVV) led by Geert Wilders. To form the new coalition, D66 joined forces with the center-right Christian Democrats and the right-wing VVD, holding just 66 of 150 seats in the lower house. The Netherlands is usually led by majority coalitions, but a heavily fractured political landscape has made it increasingly difficult to assemble one. Former Prime Minister Dick Schoof's government collapsed just 11 months into its term. The new coalition also lacks a majority in the Senate, meaning it will need opposition support to pass key legislation.The new Cabinet was sworn in 4 months after the electionImage: Koen van Weel/ANP/AFP Who is Rob Jetten? Jetten was first elected to parliament in 2017 for the D66 party. He was widely nicknamed as "Robot" Jetten for his apparently pre-rehearsed responses to reporters’ questions. Since then, he has moved to present himself as more relaxed and gained popularity over time, even reaching the final round of a prime-time television quiz called "The Smartest Person." Jetten also served as a cabinet minister under Mark Rutte, the Netherlands' longtime prime minister and now NATO secretary-general. He championed a climate legislation package with 120 measures aimed at slashing Dutch carbon emissions by 60% in 2030 compared with 1990 levels. He is engaged to be married to his partner Nicolás Keenan, an Argentine two-time Olympian and field hockey star. Edited by: Elizabeth Schumacher