The lower house of the legislature, the
House of Representatives, is elected by a national party-list system of
proportional representation. There is no threshold for getting a seat, making it possible for a party to get a seat with only two-thirds percent of the vote—roughly one seat for every 67,000 votes.
No party has won a majority of seats since the
1894 general election;[1] no party has even approached the seats needed for a majority since the current proportional representation system was implemented in the
Pacification of 1917. All governments since then have been coalitions between two or more parties. However, there is a broad consensus on the basic principles of the political system, with all parties having to adjust their goals to some extent in order to have a realistic chance at being part of the government.
New Social Contract (NSC) is a
Christian democratic and
communitarianpolitical party in the
Netherlands launched and led by
Pieter Omtzigt.[24] The party intends to focus on its main themes of good governance and
social security.[25] The party has been described as
Christian democratic[26][27] and close to
communitarian philosophy.[27] Article 2 of the party's statutes speak of "personal responsibility, family and communities and distributed private property" as founding principles, while an accompanying programme of principles mentions notions including
personalism,
virtue ethics and the
social market economy.[28] After the
2023 Dutch general election was announced following the fall of the
fourth Rutte cabinet, Omtzigt founded New Social Contract (NSC) on 19 August 2023.[24] His 2021 manifesto has served as the basis for the views of the new party.[25] On 20 August 2023, Omtzigt announced in Tubantia newspaper that he did not strive for NSC to become the largest party in the general election in November that year. If that does happen, he does not want to become
prime minister, but to remain in the House of Representatives as
parliamentary leader.[citation needed]Eddy van Hijum became chairman of the committee that would write the party's manifesto ahead of the 2023 general election.[29] Until 28 August 2023, the party offered people who endorsed the party's principles the opportunity to apply online for a seat in the House of Representatives. It was later announced that around 2,400 candidates had registered.[30]
The
Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) is a
Christian democratic party on the centre to centre-right.[2] It supports free enterprise and holds to the principle that government activity should supplement but not supplant communal action by citizens. On the political spectrum, the CDA sees its philosophy as standing between the "
individualism" of the VVD and the "
statism" of the Labour Party. The CDA favours European economic, cultural, and political integration. The CDA is a member of the
Centrist Democrat International and the
European People's Party.
Henri Bontenbal is the current leader of the party.[33]
The
Socialist Party (SP) is a
left-wing populist party.[34] The party itself has called its ideological shift a move "from socialism to a social-ism." The party opposes what it sees as the
European Superstate. The SP operated as an independent party within the
European United Left-Nordic Green Left group until the 2019 European elections, when it lost all seats in the European Parliament.
Jimmy Dijk is the leader of the SP.
The
Reformed Political Party (SGP) is a party of the
Christian right,[2] with stronger ethical points of view than the Christian Union. Although the party is small on a national level, having gained either two or three seats in every general election,[36] it is an important political power in some orthodox reformed municipalities. The party sees governments (local, regional, national and international) as unconditional servants of God. The party bases all of its views directly on the Bible. Opposing European integration, the party is
Eurosceptic, and operates within the
European Conservatives and Reformists group and is a member of the
European Christian Political Movement.
Chris Stoffer leads the SGP.
50PLUS (50+) is a populist
pensioners' party. The party takes a centrist position on the political spectrum and combines social-liberal and conservative viewpoints with a focus on preserving the welfare state, especially regarding pensions. Currently, the party is not represented in the House of Representatives.
Martin van Rooijen leads the party's faction in the Senate. Gerard van Hooft is the leading candidate for 50PLUS in the 2023 elections. The party is a member of the
European Democratic Party.
The
Independent Politics Netherlands, formerly known as "Independent Senate Group (OSF)", is a parliamentary party in the Dutch Senate with one senator, representing several provincial parties and advocating a
regionalist agenda. The party's current senator, Auke van der Goot, is a member of the civic nationalistic
Frisian National Party, which is itself a member of the
European Free Alliance.
National political parties
Parties represented in the States General and/or European Parliament
Marxist–Leninist Party of the Netherlands (MLPN; a fake party founded in 1970 by the Dutch Intelligence Service
BVD and the
CIA, to research support for Maoism and to fool the People's Republic of China)
^Nordsieck, Wolfram (2021).
"Netherlands". Parties and Elections in Europe.
Archived from the original on 2 April 2017. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
^"Bestuur BoerBurgerBeweging". BoerBurgerBeweging (in Dutch). 3 December 2019.
Archived from the original on 25 September 2021. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
^"Rural populist party emerges as big winner in Dutch elections". The Guardian. 16 March 2023. Retrieved 16 March 2023. The BBB, which has won the support of far-right and populist parties internationally, claims the problem has been exaggerated and that farmers' livelihoods are being sacrificed to the green transition.
^Hans Vollaard; Gerrit Voerman; Nelleke van de Walle (2015).
"The Netherlands". In Donatella M. Viola (ed.). Routledge Handbook of European Elections. Routledge. p. 171.
ISBN978-1-317-50363-7.
^Jort Statema; Paul Aarts. Timo Behr;
Teija Tiilikainen (eds.). The Netherlands: Follow Washington, Be a Good European. note on p. 237. {{
cite book}}: |work= ignored (
help)
^Rudy B. Andeweg; Galen A. Irwin (2014). Governance and Politics of the Netherlands (4th ed.). Palgrave Macmillan. p. 74.
^"Standpunten" (in Dutch). Forum voor Democratie. 15 November 2016. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
The lower house of the legislature, the
House of Representatives, is elected by a national party-list system of
proportional representation. There is no threshold for getting a seat, making it possible for a party to get a seat with only two-thirds percent of the vote—roughly one seat for every 67,000 votes.
No party has won a majority of seats since the
1894 general election;[1] no party has even approached the seats needed for a majority since the current proportional representation system was implemented in the
Pacification of 1917. All governments since then have been coalitions between two or more parties. However, there is a broad consensus on the basic principles of the political system, with all parties having to adjust their goals to some extent in order to have a realistic chance at being part of the government.
New Social Contract (NSC) is a
Christian democratic and
communitarianpolitical party in the
Netherlands launched and led by
Pieter Omtzigt.[24] The party intends to focus on its main themes of good governance and
social security.[25] The party has been described as
Christian democratic[26][27] and close to
communitarian philosophy.[27] Article 2 of the party's statutes speak of "personal responsibility, family and communities and distributed private property" as founding principles, while an accompanying programme of principles mentions notions including
personalism,
virtue ethics and the
social market economy.[28] After the
2023 Dutch general election was announced following the fall of the
fourth Rutte cabinet, Omtzigt founded New Social Contract (NSC) on 19 August 2023.[24] His 2021 manifesto has served as the basis for the views of the new party.[25] On 20 August 2023, Omtzigt announced in Tubantia newspaper that he did not strive for NSC to become the largest party in the general election in November that year. If that does happen, he does not want to become
prime minister, but to remain in the House of Representatives as
parliamentary leader.[citation needed]Eddy van Hijum became chairman of the committee that would write the party's manifesto ahead of the 2023 general election.[29] Until 28 August 2023, the party offered people who endorsed the party's principles the opportunity to apply online for a seat in the House of Representatives. It was later announced that around 2,400 candidates had registered.[30]
The
Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) is a
Christian democratic party on the centre to centre-right.[2] It supports free enterprise and holds to the principle that government activity should supplement but not supplant communal action by citizens. On the political spectrum, the CDA sees its philosophy as standing between the "
individualism" of the VVD and the "
statism" of the Labour Party. The CDA favours European economic, cultural, and political integration. The CDA is a member of the
Centrist Democrat International and the
European People's Party.
Henri Bontenbal is the current leader of the party.[33]
The
Socialist Party (SP) is a
left-wing populist party.[34] The party itself has called its ideological shift a move "from socialism to a social-ism." The party opposes what it sees as the
European Superstate. The SP operated as an independent party within the
European United Left-Nordic Green Left group until the 2019 European elections, when it lost all seats in the European Parliament.
Jimmy Dijk is the leader of the SP.
The
Reformed Political Party (SGP) is a party of the
Christian right,[2] with stronger ethical points of view than the Christian Union. Although the party is small on a national level, having gained either two or three seats in every general election,[36] it is an important political power in some orthodox reformed municipalities. The party sees governments (local, regional, national and international) as unconditional servants of God. The party bases all of its views directly on the Bible. Opposing European integration, the party is
Eurosceptic, and operates within the
European Conservatives and Reformists group and is a member of the
European Christian Political Movement.
Chris Stoffer leads the SGP.
50PLUS (50+) is a populist
pensioners' party. The party takes a centrist position on the political spectrum and combines social-liberal and conservative viewpoints with a focus on preserving the welfare state, especially regarding pensions. Currently, the party is not represented in the House of Representatives.
Martin van Rooijen leads the party's faction in the Senate. Gerard van Hooft is the leading candidate for 50PLUS in the 2023 elections. The party is a member of the
European Democratic Party.
The
Independent Politics Netherlands, formerly known as "Independent Senate Group (OSF)", is a parliamentary party in the Dutch Senate with one senator, representing several provincial parties and advocating a
regionalist agenda. The party's current senator, Auke van der Goot, is a member of the civic nationalistic
Frisian National Party, which is itself a member of the
European Free Alliance.
National political parties
Parties represented in the States General and/or European Parliament
Marxist–Leninist Party of the Netherlands (MLPN; a fake party founded in 1970 by the Dutch Intelligence Service
BVD and the
CIA, to research support for Maoism and to fool the People's Republic of China)
^Nordsieck, Wolfram (2021).
"Netherlands". Parties and Elections in Europe.
Archived from the original on 2 April 2017. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
^"Bestuur BoerBurgerBeweging". BoerBurgerBeweging (in Dutch). 3 December 2019.
Archived from the original on 25 September 2021. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
^"Rural populist party emerges as big winner in Dutch elections". The Guardian. 16 March 2023. Retrieved 16 March 2023. The BBB, which has won the support of far-right and populist parties internationally, claims the problem has been exaggerated and that farmers' livelihoods are being sacrificed to the green transition.
^Hans Vollaard; Gerrit Voerman; Nelleke van de Walle (2015).
"The Netherlands". In Donatella M. Viola (ed.). Routledge Handbook of European Elections. Routledge. p. 171.
ISBN978-1-317-50363-7.
^Jort Statema; Paul Aarts. Timo Behr;
Teija Tiilikainen (eds.). The Netherlands: Follow Washington, Be a Good European. note on p. 237. {{
cite book}}: |work= ignored (
help)
^Rudy B. Andeweg; Galen A. Irwin (2014). Governance and Politics of the Netherlands (4th ed.). Palgrave Macmillan. p. 74.
^"Standpunten" (in Dutch). Forum voor Democratie. 15 November 2016. Retrieved 27 December 2016.