Dutch centrist D66 remains largest party after counting overseas votes

Dutch centrist party D66 retained on Tuesday its lead in the parliamentary elections after all postal votes from citizens abroad were counted, according to final forecasts from the ANP news agency.

The D66 remains with 26 seats in the 150-seat parliament, maintaining its position as the largest party ahead of Geert Wilders' far-right Party for Freedom (PVV), which failed to close the gap despite additional overseas votes.

The Socialist Party (SP) will keep the final remaining seat, staying at three in total.

According to the municipality of The Hague, which oversees the counting of postal ballots, GroenLinks-PvdA secured the most votes abroad, over 25,000 out of nearly 87,000 cast.

The D66 received around 16,000 votes, while the PVV got 7,451. The vote difference between D66 and PVV now stands at 28,455.

Although the Electoral Council will announce the official results on Friday, ANP's updated projection confirms D66 leader Rob Jetten's narrow victory.

Earlier recounts in several municipalities had widened D66's lead, including in Rotterdam, where the party gained 2,423 votes, while PVV lost 2,483 compared to initial estimates.

The result could influence upcoming coalition talks. A right-wing alliance of D66, VVD, CDA, and JA21 remains one seat short of a majority, holding 75 seats.

Analysts say D66 may now push the liberal VVD toward a centrist coalition with GroenLinks-PvdA, a move VVD leader Dilan Yesilgoz has so far resisted, calling the left-wing bloc "too radical," NOS reported.

Nearly 135,000 ballots were distributed to voters abroad, with about 87,000 returned.