Rob Jetten Sworn In as Netherlands’ Youngest Prime Minister

The Netherlands has a new prime minister, Rob Jetten, who at 37, is the youngest person to ever hold the office. He was sworn in by King Willem-Alexander on Monday, February 23, 2026, at the Royal Palace Huis ten Bosch in The Hague .

New Cabinet Formation

Jetten, leader of the Democrats 66 (D66) party, heads a three-party minority government comprised of D66, the VVD, and the CDA. The cabinet consists of 18 Ministers and 10 State Secretaries . Twelve members took the religious oath (“So facilitate me God Almighty”), while twelve opted for the non-religious promise (“I declare and promise”) .

Swearing-In Ceremony Details

The swearing-in ceremony took place at Huis ten Bosch palace. Following the oath-taking, King Willem-Alexander greeted the new ministers and formally signed the Royal Decrees, dismissing the previous Cabinet led by Dick Schoof and appointing the new team .

Several ministers have roots in the Brabant region, including Tom Berendsen (CDA) as Minister of Foreign Affairs, Elanor Boekholt-O’Sullivan (D66) as Minister of Housing, Rianne Letschert (D66) as Minister of Education, Culture and Science, Sjoerd Sjoerdsma (D66) as Minister of Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, and Thierry Aartsen (VVD) as Minister of Work and Participation . Sandra Palmen continues as State Secretary for Recovery, and Benefits.

Transition of Power

Rob Jetten assumed control of the Prime Minister’s X (formerly Twitter) account, @minpres, from his predecessor, Dick Schoof. All of Schoof’s previous posts were removed from the account prior to the transition, and the same process occurred for the accounts of all ministers .

Cabinet Composition

The new cabinet is composed of 10 ministers from D66, 9 from the VVD, and 8 from the CDA .

Protests During Ceremony

Demonstrators from Extinction Rebellion protested near the fences of Huis ten Bosch Palace during the swearing-in ceremony .

Following the ceremony, Jetten met with his predecessor, Dick Schoof, at the Ministry of General Affairs, receiving the gavel of the Council of Ministers. The first Council of Ministers meeting is scheduled to take place later that day .