(MENAFN) The Netherlands’ centrist D66 party has maintained its lead in the parliamentary elections following the inclusion of votes cast by Dutch citizens living abroad, according to final projections.

With all postal ballots tallied, D66 holds 26 seats in the 150-member parliament, staying ahead of Geert Wilders’ far-right Party for Freedom (PVV), which failed to close the remaining gap even after the overseas count. The Socialist Party (SP) retained its three seats, securing the last available one in parliament.

As stated by reports, officials in The Hague — responsible for counting international ballots — confirmed that the GroenLinks-PvdA alliance won the largest share of votes abroad, receiving more than 25,000 of nearly 87,000 ballots cast. D66 followed with approximately 16,000 votes, while PVV garnered 7,451. The margin between D66 and PVV now stands at 28,455 votes.

Although the official results will be released by the Electoral Council later this week, projections indicate D66 leader Rob Jetten’s narrow victory. Earlier recounts in several municipalities, including Rotterdam, widened D66’s advantage, where the party added over 2,400 votes and PVV lost roughly the same number compared to initial estimates.

The outcome is expected to shape upcoming coalition negotiations. A right-leaning alliance of D66, VVD, CDA, and JA21 remains one seat short of a majority with 75 seats in total. Analysts suggest that D66 may now push the liberal VVD to consider forming a centrist coalition with GroenLinks-PvdA, a move VVD leader Dilan Yesilgoz has so far opposed, describing the left-wing bloc as “too radical.”

Nearly 135,000 ballots were sent to overseas voters, with about 87,000 returned for counting.

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