Morning commuters on Dutch election as results suggest nail-biting neck-and-neck finish
(30 Oct 2025) RESTRICTION SUMMARY: ASSOCIATED PRESS The Hague, Netherlands - 30 October 2025 1. Mid shot of Dutch and European Union flags 2. Pan shot of The Hague Central Station 3. SOUNDBITE (English) Tijs Heemskerk, 29-year-old commuter: "I think we're very polarized, so we have different opinions. There's far right and there's far left. And I think with the Democrats 66 (D66) winning, I think you have a sort of center party being the biggest, and I think that's good for the country." 4. Cutaway of commuters 5. SOUNDBITE (English) Hugo van Bergen, 60-year-old commuter: "It will be an improvement for sure, because with Rob Jetten as prime minister, we are sure to be with an experienced, how do you say, well, a successful minister, and we're going to get a middle group of middle parties, which will make sure that some problems are going to be solved for the coming years. I'm very, very confident that for the coming four years we'll really make steps forward." 6. Mid of passenger check in gates 7. SOUNDBITE (English) Claudia Berghout, 50-year-old commuter: "Yeah, because I don't think that the right-wing parties know what to do for the country. They're just on immigration a lot, and that's just one point of the maybe thousands of points for the country. So that's why I'm happy." 8. Mid of people waiting for tram 9. SOUNDBITE (Dutch) Kiki de Waart, 19-year-old commuter: "This is surprising. I had the feeling that PVV would be really high, but the fact that D66 got so high, it is astonishing. And... yes, it is still very right-wing anyway. So we have really become a right-wing country. But yes, I am glad that D66 got a good result." 10. Mid of people walking at tram station 11. Mid of people at tram station STORYLINE: Geert Wilders' far-right Party for Freedom and the centrist D66 on Thursday were locked in an unprecedented neck-and-neck race to become the biggest party with 98% of votes counted in the Dutch general election. The difference between the two leading parties was just over 2,000 votes nationwide, according to the vote count tallied and published by Dutch national news agency ANP and cited by Dutch media. The nail-biting finish - with both parties on 26 seats - could lead to delays in starting the process of forming a new coalition in the wake of Wednesday's vote. No Dutch election has previously ended with two parties tied for the lead. Wilders' party was forecast to lose 11 seats in the 150-seat House of Representatives, while D66, led by Rob Jetten, gained 11, according to the vote count tallied and published by Dutch national news agency ANP. An exit poll had given Jetten's party a two-seat lead after voting ended Wednesday night, and commuters in The Hague on Thursday still expressed hope D66 would take victory. If D66 wins the most seats, the party will be in the driving seat to lead negotiations to form a new coalition and former climate minister Jetten, 38, could become the Netherlands’ first openly gay prime minister. Wilders took to X in the morning to insist his party play a leading role in coalition talks if it was the largest, but conceded after the exit poll that his party had a disappointing election. Mainstream parties, including D66, have ruled out joining Wilders in a coalition, arguing that his decision to torpedo the outgoing coalition in a dispute over migration underscored that he is an untrustworthy partner. Cobbling together a coalition that can command a majority in the 150-seat House of Representatives will be difficult in a parliament divided between left and right. AP video by Mark Carlson Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: / ap_archive Facebook: / aparchives Instagram: / apnews You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...