Judith Uitermark, the interior minister, made the announcement regarding the election day on Friday and promised to coordinate with local governments to ensure a smooth voting process.
Polls show a close fight between the Labour/Green Left alliance led by former European Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans and the far-right Party for Freedom (PVV), which is led by flamboyant Geert Wilders.
The center-right VVD is slightly behind, suggesting a contentious vote.
In a dispute over immigration policy, Wilders forced Prime Minister Dick Schoof and his cabinet to resign, prompting the election to be called.
Wilders had accused the government of dragging its feet in putting in place the coalition’s “strictest-ever” immigration policy, which the coalition had proposed.
Partner partners criticized him for bringing down the coalition, who claimed he had done it out of self-interest.
Dilan Yesilgoz, the VVD leader, said, “We had a right-wing majority and he’s let it all go for the sake of his ego.”
The leader of the NSC, another alliance member, called it “irresponsible to take down the government at this point.”
In November 2023, Wilders’ PVV won 37 of the 150 legislative seats, making it the party’s largest party by a sizable margin.
He put together a four-party coalition with the VVD, the farmers’ BBB, and the anticorruption NSC to take office, but the price was to sacrifice his desire to be prime minister.
As of May 31 polls revealed a slight decline in the PVV’s support, dropping from 23 percent at the election in 2023 to 20 percent. Second only to the PVV, the Labour/Green Left alliance holds 25 seats in the lower house of parliament, closely followed by 19 percent.
The outcome is challenging to predict due to the disjointed political landscape.
