The Netherlands will get the youngest prime minister in its history

The centrist D66 party, which came first in last year’s October elections, the center-right Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA), and the liberal People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) will join forces in a coalition holding only 66 seats in the Dutch lower house, 10 short of a majority. Minority governments are rare in the Netherlands.

D66 leader, 38-year-old Rob Jetten, will become the youngest Dutch prime minister in history. He spoke alongside the leaders of CDA and VVD on Tuesday evening, saying that the three of them “still have a few finishing details” to work out before their coalition agreement is formally presented on Friday, but he sounded optimistic.

“We’re really looking forward to getting started,” Jetten said. He added that the new government’s priorities will be affordable housing, migration control, and defense investment. The cabinet could be sworn in before the Dutch king by the end of February.

VVD leader Dilan Yeşilgöz, who previously served as Minister of Justice, said she has not yet decided whether she will take a position in the new government.

In the October elections, D66 scored a major victory, narrowly surpassing the far-right Party for Freedom (PVV) of Geert Wilders, which had previously been the largest party in a coalition government marked by internal conflicts.

That coalition eventually collapsed after a dispute over asylum policy led Wilders to withdraw his party’s support.