Netherlands appoints first out gay and youngest prime minister
Prime minister-designate Rob Jetten stand in front of Netherlands’ Willem-Alexander during the swearing-in ceremony of the new Jetten cabinet. (Koen van Weel / ANP / AFP via Getty Images) / Netherlands OUT)
Netherlands has appointed its first openly gay and youngest prime minister.
The new dutch government was sworn in on Monday (23 February), with Rob Jetten becoming the country’s youngest and first openly gay prime minister.
Jetten, who is the leader of the Democrats 66 (D66), won in the October elections last year, dethroning the far-right Freedom Party (PVV).
He succeeds Dick Schoof, whose government collapsed in the summer of 2025, leading to snap elections.
The 38-year-old centrist’s D66 has teamed up with the centre-right Christian Democratic Appeal CDA party and the liberal People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) to form a coalition. However, they will fall nine seats short of a parliamentary majority with only 66 seats, meaning Jetten will depend on opposition support.
His campaign has been successful partly due to a surge in advertising that has pushed a message of “yes, we can”, enabling the party to focus on divisive issues such as immigration and the housing crisis.
As part of the party’s image transformation, Jetten challenged far-right leader Geert Wilders, hitting out at him for only standing up for LGBTQ+ rights in a bid to villainise Muslims.
In an Instagram post on Monday, 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 post has been flooded with well wishes and green hearts.
Jetten’s fiancé, hockey player Nicolás Keenan, previously spoke to PinkNews about what a gay prime minister for the country could represent, as well as what it means to be by his side on a public platform.
Keenan said: “Dutch people are ready for a new energy, and he’s bringing a lot of energy, a lot of positive energy as well, so people are really looking forward to his cycle as a prime minister.”
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