After years in power, the Dutch liberal party, once commanded by Mark Rutte, now faces a desperate fight for relevance in this week’s national election.
A slump in the polls by the Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) since the collapse of the Netherlands’ Cabinet in June has delivered a sobering reality check for a former electoral force that became near-synonymous with Dutch government, and the face of the country’s reputed liberal tradition in the EU.
Geert Wilders’ far-right Freedom Party (PVV) is projected to remain the Netherlands’ largest in Wednesday’s vote, according to the latest Ipsos I&O estimates. However, the center-left GreenLeft-Labor and liberal D66 parties are within striking distance.
Meanwhile, the liberal VVD risks winning even fewer seats than in the 2023 election — which already represented a major setback for the party — casting doubt on its role in any future government.
Its struggles echo the floundering of other European liberals in recent years, including President Emmanuel Macron in France, the Free Democratic Party in Germany and the Open VLD party of Belgium’s former Prime Minister Alexander De Croo.
