Rob Jetten makes history as the Netherlands’ first openly gay prime minister
Rob Jetten has made history as the Netherlands’ youngest and first openly gay prime minister, taking office on 23 February 2026 after leading the progressive liberal party Democrats 66 (D66) to a record result in the October 2025 snap election. At just 38, Jetten steps into the role at a moment of significant political fragmentation and heightened expectations for reform across climate policy, housing, defence and governance.
Jetten’s rise to the top of Dutch politics has been swift. Born in Veghel and raised in Uden, he studied public administration at Radboud University before entering local politics in Nijmegen and later the national parliament in 2017. He became the leader of D66 in 2018 and served as Minister for Climate and Energy, earning a reputation as a pragmatic moderniser with a strong focus on climate action.
Following the collapse of the previous government in 2025, the snap election saw D66 secure its best-ever outcome, narrowly defeating Geert Wilders’ far‑right Freedom Party (PVV). That victory enabled Jetten to form a three‑party minority coalition with the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) and the liberal-conservative VVD - together holding 66 of the 150 seats in the House of Representatives. His swearing‑in by King Willem‑Alexander at Huis ten Bosch marked both a generational shift and a symbolic milestone for LGBTQ+ visibility in European politics.
As prime minister, Jetten inherits a deeply fractured political landscape and a demanding reform agenda. He has pledged to accelerate the clean‑energy transition, tackle the Netherlands’ severe housing shortage through major building projects, and boost defence spending to meet future NATO targets. His coalition has also proposed changes in healthcare, shifting the emphasis towards prevention, while supporting welfare reforms and stricter asylum processes requiring applications from outside Europe.
Despite early‑career mockery as “Robot Jetten” for his rehearsed speaking style, he has since cultivated a warmer, media‑savvy public persona - and a voting base receptive to his message of optimism, European cooperation and democratic renewal. His leadership also carries a powerful cultural resonance: although the Netherlands was the first country to legalise same‑sex marriage, Jetten is the first openly gay leader to serve as its head of government.
In his personal life, Jetten lives in Utrecht and is engaged to Argentine Olympian Nicolás Keenan - a relationship that has garnered positive attention and further bolstered his visibility as an LGBTQ trailblazer in European politics.
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