As the Netherlands gets close to electing a conservative prime minister for the first time in decades, a crucial ally has backed down, threatening his chances. 

The Netherlands, along with the rest of Europe, is suffering a demographic crisis. Fewer Dutch citizens give birth, more are aging, and immigrants flood the country in their place. In 2023, about 123,000 Dutch births were barely surpassed by 124,000 Dutch deaths. The immigration rate that same year, however, was over twice as large. The small nation is only growing in population due to mass foreign immigration that has significantly increased in recent years.