On Monday, February 23, Rob Jetten became the Netherlands’ first openly gay Prime Minister after his government was officially sworn in by King Willem-Alexander. At 38 years old, Jetten is also the youngest head of government in the country’s history.
Jetten’s party, the centrist Democrats 66 (D66), won the elections last October, scoring a narrow victory over the far-right Party for Freedom (PVV) led by Geert Wilders. His government will succeed the previous one formed by Dick Schoof, which collapsed in the summer of 2025, leading to a snap election.
Jetten is set to lead a coalition made up of his own party, the centre-right Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) and the liberal People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD). However, the three parties together control only 66 out of the 150 seats in parliament, meaning that they will depend on opposition support.
As the Netherlands’ first gay and youngest Prime Minister, Jetten has pushed a message of “yes, we can” throughout his campaign, challenging the far-right opponent with a vision of transformation for the country. However, while Jetten’s government is not as far to the right as the previous one, it still holds a “right-wing signature”, said professor of politics at Leiden University Sarah de Lange.
“The coalition has opted for budget cuts rather than running a deficit to finance any investments it wants to make,” De Lange explained, adding that there is “substantial continuity between the immigration plans of the new government and the previous one.”
View this post on Instagram
Jetten’s coalition will opt for a strict approach to asylum immigration, including restrictions on family reunification. Moreover, the government is planning to finance a historic increase in defence spending, pouring billions more euros into the military to reach the NATO spending target.
The intention is to fund such spending through cuts in welfare and healthcare, a move which opposition parties have already denounced. Left-wing opposition leader Jesse Klaver condemned such plans as “unfair”, as they will disproportionately impact people with lower incomes.
“Ordinary people will pay hundreds of euros more, while nothing extra is asked of the richest,” Klaver said in a post on X last Friday. “This has to change.”
Among the coalition’s plans are also measures to tackle the housing crisis and to cut back emissions from the country’s massive livestock industry.
In an Instagram post shared today, Jetten wrote: “Proud to be able to do this together. In a new phase, with a great responsibility and above all a joint promise to work for everyone in the Netherlands.”
The newly appointed gay Prime Minister also made headlines in October when news of his relationship with bisexual field hockey player and Olympian Nicolás Keenan went viral. According to reports, the pair met in The Hague in 2022 and have been together ever since. In 2024, they announced their engagement, with plans to marry this year.
View this post on Instagram
© 2026 GCN (Gay Community News). All rights reserved.
Support GCN
GCN is a free, vital resource for Ireland’s LGBTQ+ community since 1988.
GCN is a trading name of National LGBT Federation CLG, a registered charity - Charity Number: 20034580.
GCN relies on the generous support of the community and allies to sustain the crucial work that we do. Producing GCN is costly, and, in an industry which has been hugely impacted by rising costs, we need your support to help sustain and grow this vital resource.
Supporting GCN for as little as €1.99 per month will help us continue our work as Ireland’s free, independent LGBTQ+ media.