Huge victory Centre left D66 and new parties

[pieter]

Folks,

The Dutch parliamentary elections had a surprising outcome. The Centre left Social liberal progressive party D66 had a huge victory and becomes the Second party replacing Geert Wilders PVV Freedom Party as the Second largest party. The PVV lost votes, the Christian Democratic CDA lost votes, the Leftwing Labour Party, GreenLeft and the Socialist Party (SP) lost votes.

The Rightwing Populist Forum for Democracy party of Thierry Baudet grows from 3 seats in 2017 tot 8 seats in parliament in 2021. Geert Wilders must have a headache. The Split off of Forum for Democracy JA21 probably gained 4 seats and will enter parliament as a Eurosceptic, anti-migration, conservative liberal and National Conservative party. Entering the parliament JA21 will be the third Rightwing Populist Party in the Dutch parliament after the Freedom Party (PVV) and Forum for Democracy.

Another surprise is the winning of 4 seats in Parliament by the Pro European Volt Party. Volt is a Social liberal, European federalist and
Progressive Political Party with branches in other countries as well.

BIJ1 of Sylvana Simons will enter the Dutch parliament with probably one seat. The Party of Animals will gain a small victory. Prime minister Mark Ruttes VVD won the elections for the Forth time and is again the largest Political Party. Mark Rutte again will be Prime minister. He will enter negotiations with D66 to form a new government coalition. They will probably ask their present demissinary coalition partners the CDA and the ChristenUnie to join them to form a 4 party coalition government again.

Cheers,
Pieter

[Jaga]

Pieter, do you think that this is a good outcome for Netherlands or rather not? How much of this income is due to Covid?
Did your parents had the vaccination?

[pieter]

Jaga,

The outcome of this election shows a huge loss for the Leftwing political parties, shows a moderate Centre right Netherlands. That the 2 liberal parties VVD and D66 won shows the classical liberal nature of the Netherlands which exists since the 19th century since the founding father of the liberal democratic parliamentary democracy Johan Rudolph Thorbecke (14 January 1798 – 4 June 1872).

Thorbecke was a Dutch liberal statesman, one of the most important Dutch politicians of the 19th century. In 1848, he virtually single-handedly drafted the revision of the Constitution of the Netherlands, giving less power to the king and more to the States General, and guaranteeing more religious, personal and political freedom to the people.

Since the 20th century in the Netherlands for a long time there was a balance between the conservative Calvinist Protestant (Anti-revolutionairy = anti-French revolution in it’s biblical, monarchist and Calvinist stance) and Roman Catholic pillars on one side and the secular Social Democratic and General (=Liberal) pillars on the other side. Due to secularisation during the sixties, seventies and eighties the power of the Calvinist and Roman Catholic pillars crumbled down. But the Christian parties CDA, ChristenUnie and SGP kept their influence and stayed influential. Christian minorities like farmers, fishermen and Christian townsfolk and city people kept these parties alive. People often mention Muslim migrants and refugees but forget about the growing number Christian refugees. We have about 1 million Christian migrants. These Christian migrants vote for Christian parties like the ChristenUnie but also the Christian Democratic CDA. Together Dutch and migrant Christians do have influence in the Netherlands. Secular Populist parties like Forum for Democracy and JA21 court the Ultra conservative, Nationalist and theocratic SGP party.

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reformed_Political_Party

We live in a polarized political landscape in the Netherlands today with probably 17 political parties in the Dutch parliament, the Second Chamber. The Secular liberal parties are leading. The leader of D66 is Roman Catholic and religious. When she was swore in as minister she didn’t use the ‘secular’ option, but the religious one ‘

I swear (or declare) that in order to be appointed minister / state secretary / member of the States General, I have not promised or given, directly or indirectly, any gifts or presents to any person under whatsoever name or pretext.
I swear (or declare and affirm) that in order to do or refrain from doing anything whatsoever in this office, I have not accepted and will not accept, directly or indirectly, any promises or presents from anyone whomsoever.
I swear (or affirm) allegiance to the King, to the Statute for the Kingdom and to the Constitution.
I swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully perform all the duties which the office lays upon me.
So help me, God Almighty! (The secular version is; This I declare and affirm!)

Cheers,
Pieter

[pieter]

Jaga,

The coming coalition negotiations to form a new government will show if this is a good outcome. D66 dragged the present VVD-CDA-D66-ChristenUnie coalition from the Centre right to the Centre Left. D66 replaced the CDA as second party in the coalition. The VVD of Mark Rutte prefers the CDA. If the CDA would have become the largest or second largest the VVD would have gladly formed a 2 party coalition with the CDA. The VVD and CDA can find each other in their Pro-Free Market stance, being parties of entrepreneurs, the Middle classes and the high class, having roots in both the rural Country (a farmers base) and social conservative and conservative liberal townsfolk and city people. D66 is more progressive and had always a link with the Leftwing political parties, being a rather Leftwing liberal, social liberal party. Dutch politics is a complicated thing Jaga.

My parents are vaccinated, they have had vaccine injections 2 times now.

Cheers,
Pieter