Frans Timmermans reached agreement on Sunday to lead a new Dutch governing coalition, ending months of negotiations that followed the general election and sidelining Geert Wilders's Freedom Party. The deal was announced in The Hague.

The Netherlands has struggled to form a stable government since Wilders's party disrupted the previous administration, triggering fresh elections. Timmermans, leader of the combined Labour-GreenLeft alliance, built his coalition with support from centrist and liberal parties reluctant to govern alongside the far right.

The formation talks centred on housing shortages, immigration policy, and nitrogen emission limits affecting Dutch farmers. Negotiators said the parties agreed a framework on asylum rules and a programme to accelerate home construction, according to statements issued after the talks concluded.

Wilders criticised the outcome, arguing that the parties had excluded the largest voting bloc from power. His Freedom Party had secured one of the strongest results in the election but failed to attract coalition partners willing to join a government under his leadership.

If ratified by the parties' membership, the agreement would install Timmermans as prime minister and mark a decisive rejection of the far right's bid to re-enter national government. Final approval by party congresses remains the last procedural step.