From sport to politics. When he was younger, Rob Jetten was a leader, a “hare,” for the training of Sifan Hassan, who became an Olympic track and field champion. At 38 years old, he now sets his own pace at the forefront of Dutch politics.
The centrist claims victory in the race towards the legislative elections this Friday, October 31, which puts him on the path to becoming the youngest Prime Minister in the country.
Like Sifan Hassan, who won the marathon at the Paris Olympics thanks to a dazzling acceleration in the last turn, the young politician orchestrated his campaign perfectly.
“Return the Netherlands to the heart of Europe”
With his positive message and youthful energy, he managed to win back his party, which a month ago was still in fifth place in the polls, after a notable advance at the end of the campaign. “We did it!” he told his jubilant supporters on election night.
He won a narrow victory against far-right leader Geert Wilders, with only a few thousand votes separating the two candidates. “We have carried out a very positive campaign because we want to eradicate all the negativity that has reigned in the Netherlands for several years,” Rob Jetten told AFP on Wednesday, the day of the vote.
“I want to return the Netherlands to the heart of Europe because, without European cooperation, we will get nowhere,” added the man who ascended the political ladder by leaps and bounds.
He entered Parliament at the age of 30 and a year later was appointed head of D66, becoming the youngest to hold this position. Labeled “Robot Jetten” with his strict glasses and ready-made phrases, his rise was not easy. “The best advice I received at the time was, ‘tell your story as if you were sitting at the table with friends,'” the person confided.
“A nerd”
He then ditched his glasses after laser eye surgery and adopted a relaxed, happy attitude. Then the stars align: By chance, he shines on a popular general knowledge television quiz, taped in the spring but broadcast in the weeks before the election.
Perhaps not surprising for someone who, as a child, read two newspapers and watched the morning television news before going to school. “A nerd. That was really when I was 12 years old,” admits the politician, who grew up in Uden, in the south of the Netherlands, before studying administrative sciences at Radboud University in Nijmegen (east).
Before entering politics, he was an advisor to ProRail, a public body that manages the Dutch railway network.
Engaged to an Argentine field hockey player
Rob Jetten, who would also be the country’s first openly gay prime minister, has been engaged to Nicolas Keenan, an Argentine international field hockey player, since 2022. The couple plans to marry next summer in Spain.
As a child, young Rob dreamed of becoming a top athlete. “But as I got older and discovered more of my identity, it became quite difficult for me not to be able to identify with high-level gay athletes,” he continued.
He later envisioned a career in hospitality and catering, but when he fell in love with politics, his talent was quickly discovered. He will become Minister of Energy and Climate between 2022 and 2024, despite his young age and lack of experience.
Rule out any coalition with Geert Wilders
However, his party’s popularity is falling: D66 has gone from 24 seats in Parliament to just 9 in the 2023 election. Two years later, observers attribute its success to a less “woke”, less climate alarmist and generally more pragmatic approach.
From the start of his campaign, he ruled out any coalition with far-right leader Geert Wilders, calling him “the biggest playground bully.” “As a Democrat, I don’t see how I could form a coalition with him,” he said.
Source: BFM TV
