For the first time in decades, the Netherlands faces a virtual tie at the top: the social-liberal Democrats 66 and the right-wing populist Party for Freedom are both projected to secure 26 mandates each in the House of Representatives. It’s the best-ever election performance for the former party, while for the latter one, it’s a bitter reminder of their voter base’s volatility.

The former coalition parties all saw their influence wane, while several traditional formations made surprising comebacks. The margin between the two leading actors is the narrowest since 1956. However, as our guest expert, Dr. Jaap van Slageren from Utrecht University pointed out: the biggest players have never been so small in Dutch politics, due to the electoral system based on fully proportional representation.

What were the key factors that ultimately led to the Schoof cabinet’s failure? Which issues are currently most pressing for Dutch society, and how have the political parties responded to these challenges? What do the geographic and demographic trends reveal about the historical, economic, or cultural factors shaping Dutch politics today? In our latest episode, we sought answers to these and other interesting questions.

With the help of guest experts and politicians, in the podcast series of MCC’s Centre for Political Science we endeavor to analyze which actors are the real winners of the parliamentary and municipal elections taking place this year in different European countries and what exactly can be considered a real victory after the ballot counts.