Dutch elections: back to the centre with Jetten?
Rob Jetten's left-liberal D66 has won a razor-thin victory against Geert Wilders' right-wing populist PVV in the Dutch parliamentary elections. The 38-year-old, whose party tripled its seats in parliament, is seen as the clear winner and future head of government. The press takes a closer look and draws lessons for Europe.
Representative of the new generation
European Pravda sees a new type of politician:
“Just thirty eight years old, Rob Jetten is a politician of the young generation who is already being hailed as the 'new Rutte' - not only because of his political flexibility but also because of his ability to engage in dialogue in a fragmented political landscape. His style is calm and conciliatory, but with a clear European vision. Like the former long-standing prime minister (and current Nato secretary general), Jetten strives for stability and coalition consensus, avoiding radical decisions and harsh rhetoric. Nevertheless he represents a new generation - young, more European-oriented and keen on reform. In contrast to the pragmatic, often cautious Rutte, Jetten speaks the language of ambition and modernisation.”
A pragmatist who seeks consensus
Der Standard puts in:
“Jetten wants to focus on consensus, positive change and pragmatic politics, as has long been the tradition in the Netherlands, and also on the ability to reach a compromise in a very diverse party landscape. He is in favour of an orderly migration policy but strictly against any form of xenophobia, and wants an open, tolerant Europe - he is the opposite of Wilders. It's no coincidence that Jetten is often compared to the young Mark Rutte, who, with his objectivity and ability to bring conflicting parties together, spent almost twelve years at the helm of the government.”
Cause for hope
Liberal Europe can breathe a sigh of relief, Público writes:
“As narrow as it was, the victory of Rob Jetten's social-liberal party was like balm for the soul of a Europe that is becoming all too accustomed to far-right victories. ... Jetten faces a huge task. After many years of stability, the fragmentation of the parties has quickly turned the political landscape upside down. Forming a coalition government will take time and require compromises.”
Break through the political paralysis
NRC concludes:
“After a failed experiment with the far-right PVV in government, voters have decided to give the political centre another chance. ... With two coalition options on the table and potential differences of opinion between the parties, forming a government could be more complicated than had been hoped. ... The first major task for D66 leader Jetten will be to show that he can break through the political paralysis from a renewed and strengthened centre.”
Optimistic and ambitious
De Morgen explains Jetten's winning strategy:
“The lead candidate of the social-liberal D66 party showed himself to be a good speaker during the election campaign. With a large dose of optimism, he asserted himself against the pessimistic world view of far-right PVV leader Geert Wilders. Jetten resolutely declared his ambition to beat Wilders. In his campaign speeches he posed in front of a large Dutch flag, declaring his intention of 'reclaiming' it. And Jetten was able to successfully steer his party in terms of content as well as tone and style. ... He strategically positioned himself in the centre and was thus able to appeal to the voters of the centre-right parties.”
Voters want concrete solutions
For SRF's EU correspondent Charles Liebherr the situation is clear:
“The political chaos of the last two years has left its mark: the majority of voters now expect concrete proposals for solutions to the ongoing housing shortage, ways to curb labour migration, and how to make agriculture more environmentally friendly. ... Voters have had enough of solutions that are unfeasible or violate the rule of law. That's why they're sidelining the right-wing populist Wilders. At least for the time being.”
Advance of the right is not a law of nature
Handelsblatt welcomes the result:
“The election shows that the seemingly unstoppable success of right-wing populist parties in Europe is not a law of nature. On the contrary. ... It's largely thanks to the success of Jetten and - to a lesser extent - of Christian Democrat Henri Bontenbal that Wilders suffered such heavy losses. They show that a combination of clear, anti-populist rhetoric and a more restrictive migration policy can bring success against right-wing populists.”
Wilders remains a major force
Polityka draws mixed conclusions:
“On the one hand, the Netherlands has shown that populist right-wing parties can perform poorly in government and disappoint voters. On the other hand, Wilders still secured [at least] second place. It's therefore worth returning to the conclusion drawn by Dutch political scientist Cas Mudde in his essay: economic incompetence and the failure to implement programmes do not necessarily lead to voters showing a party the red card at the ballot box. In these times of purely performative politics, limited to narratives and devoid of any vision beyond individual terms of office, everything starts anew with each election.”