| Country: | Netherlands |
| 50PLUS | |
| Abbreviation: | 50+ |
| Leader: | Martin van Rooijen |
| Chairman: | Willem Dekker |
| Predecessor: | Party for Justice, Action and Progress |
| Leader1 Name: | Martin van Rooijen |
| Leader1 Title: | Leader in the Senate |
| Foundation: | 2009 (Onafhankelijke Ouderen en Kinderen Unie, OokU) 9 October 2010 (current name) |
| Seats1 Title: | Senate |
| Seats2 Title: | House of Representatives |
| Seats4 Title: | Provincial councils |
| Seats5 Title: | European Parliament |
| Membership Year: | 2024 |
| Membership: | 1,515[1] |
| Position: | Centre[2] |
| Wing1: | Wetenschappelijk Bureau 50PLUS |
| Wing1 Title: | Think tank |
| European: | European Democratic Party (2023–present) |
| Colours: | Purple |
| Headquarters: | Kneuterdijk 2, The Hague |
50PLUS (in Dutch; Flemish pronounced as /ˈvɛiftəx plʏs/; abbreviated 50+) is a political party in the Netherlands that advocates pensioners' interests with a centrist political line. The party was founded in 2009 by Maurice Koopman, Alexander Münninghoff and Jan Nagel.
The party first participated in the 2011 provincial elections, in which it won 9 provincial council seats, allowing it to be represented in the Senate by Nagel. Under Lead candidate Henk Krol, the party entered the House of Representatives for the first time at the 2012 general election. On 6 May 2021, party leader Liane den Haan, its sole member in the House of Representatives, left to sit as an Independent following an internal dispute.[3]
At the European level, 50PLUS was first affiliated with the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE), as its sole Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Toine Manders sat with the liberal ALDE group from 2013 to 2014. Following the 2019 European Parliament election, which saw Manders regain his seat, he sat with the conservative European People's Party group. Manders left the party in 2020 to join the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA). In 2023, 50PLUS joined the European Democratic Party (EDP).[4]
The party was founded under the name Onafhankelijke Ouderen en Kinderen Unie (Independent Elderly and Children Union) in 2009, succeeding the Partij voor Rechtvaardigheid, Daadkracht en Vooruitgang (Party for Justice, Vigour and Progress). It was an initiative of Maurice Koopman, Alexander Münninghoff and Jan Nagel. The party decided not to participate in the 2010 Dutch general election.[5] During autumn that same year the name was changed to 50PLUS.
Leading up to the 2011 Senate election, 50PLUS made an agreement with the Onafhankelijke Senaatsfractie (Independent Senate Faction, OSF). The regional parties had too little seats in the Provincial councils to collectively get a seat in the Senate, and the members of 50PLUS promised to vote for the OSF to help them gain one. In return for this, 50PLUS member Kees de Lange would be the OSF's lead candidate on the electoral list.[6] De Lange left the party in 2012 after a conflict with Nagel.[7]
The party participated in the 2012 general election with Henk Krol as the lead candidate. The party won two seats, which were taken by Krol and Norbert Klein.
On 15 September 2013, sympathizers and former employees founded the movement Ouderen Politiek Actief (OPA) after 50PLUS decided not to participate in the 2014 municipal elections. On 20 September, OPA founder Dick Schouw and his partner, board member Adriana Hernández, were expelled from the party for "repeated violation of party-established boundaries" and "breach of integrity," respectively.[8] Krol was unaware of the decision, which led to the leaking of confidential emails, also involving Nagel.[9] Following the commotion, three board members resigned, including chairman Holthuizen. The expulsion of Schouw and Hernández was converted into a suspension and fully reversed in November.[10]
On 4 October, Krol resigned as a Member of Parliament. The reason for this was a publication in the newspaper de Volkskrant about unpaid pension premiums during the period when he was the owner of the Gay Krant.[11] [12] He was succeeded as parliamentary leader by Klein and as Member of Parliament by Martine Baay-Timmerman.
On 28 May 2014, Baay-Timmerman was expelled from the parliamentary group by Klein due to an 'irreparable breach of trust.' Subsequently, the 50PLUS board withdrew its confidence in Klein. Both MPs claimed to represent 50PLUS, with Baay assured of the party's support. As a result, there was both the 50PLUS/Baay-Timmerman and the 50PLUS/Klein parliamentary group. On 10 September 2014, Krol returned to the House of Representatives because Baay-Timmerman went on sick leave and later did not return. On 13 November of that year, Klein continued as an independent MP and founded the Vrijzinnige Partij.
For the general election of March 2017, Krol was again chosen as the lead candidate. The candidate list faced much criticism and led to members leaving. The criticism was mainly focused on the high placement of candidates who had only recently become members or active, such as former TV presenter Léonie Sazias and former chair of the ABVA-KABO Corrie van Brenk. The list was eventually approved by a majority. At the start of the campaign, the party was polling at ten seats in some surveys, but ultimately secured four. According to their scientific bureau, voters were put off by the chaotic campaign. The four seats were taken by Krol, Martin van Rooijen, Van Brenk, and Sazias.[7]
In May 2018, a long-simmering conflict within the party's board erupted. Seven of the eight members of the main board resigned, followed by the resignation of chairman Jan Zoetelief.[13] Geert Dales became the new chairman.
In February 2020, Krol proposed the idea of nominating Dales for a position in the House of Representatives. Other party members disagreed with this. This was followed by a period in which the involved parties treated each other poorly in various ways. Nagel announced he would file a police report against Krol for committing a criminal offense[14] and all 50PLUS members of the Senate and House of Representatives, except Krol, demanded Dales' immediate resignation as chairman. The parliamentarians accused Dales of an "autocratic and undemocratic style of leadership" and "rude language".[15] On 26 April 2020, Dales announced he would step down.[16] On 3 May 2020, Krol left the faction but remained an independent member of the House of Representatives. Together with Femke Merel van Kooten-Arissen (who had split from the PvdD and joined the party 50PLUS, but not the parliamentary group[17]), he temporarily formed a faction and the Party for the Future. On the same day, Van Brenk took over the parliamentary leadership from Krol.[18]
After Krol's departure, Dales announced he would remain chairman of 50PLUS until 1 August 2020. However, he eventually resigned on 24 May of that year.[19] After Dales' resignation, Bert Kannegieter became acting chairman. He remained in this position until 1 August 2020, when Jan Nagel was again elected chairman at the party congress after a digital vote.[20]
On 2 June 2020, the only 50PLUS Member of the European Parliament, Toine Manders, switched to the CDA delegation.
Liane den Haan, director of the ANBO, was nominated by the board in August 2020 as the lead candidate for the next general election, as she was deemed by chairman Nagel to be well-versed in senior citizens' issues and capable of debating well. However, the choice of Den Haan was not without controversy: as ANBO director, she was accused of dictatorial behavior[21] and had also expressed support for a revision of the pension system, which 50PLUS strongly opposed.[22] Furthermore, she had not previously been a member of 50PLUS.[23] On 3 October 2020, party members elected Den Haan as the lead candidate.[24] Out of dissatisfaction with the choice of Den Haan and the manner in which it was made, several prominent party members left, including former party chairman Zoetelief and the chairman of the programme committee Rob de Brouwer.[25]
In the March 2021 general election, the party lost three seats. Den Haan, as the lead candidate, took the only remaining seat. On 6 May 2021, she left 50PLUS out of dissatisfaction and took her seat with her.[26] In the Provincial Council elections, 50PLUS retained eight seats. After the senate election in May 2023, Van Rooijen remained as a senator. On 24 June 2023, Jorien van den Herik was elected as the new party chairman during the members' meeting.[27]
For the 22 November 2023 general election, the board asked former presenter Catherine Keyl, but she declined.[28] The board then nominated Ellen Verkoelen, a provincial council member in South Holland and a city council member in Rotterdam.[29] Former party chairman Gerard van Hooft put himself forward as candidate. Due to conflicts with the board,[30] he was expelled shortly before the party congress on 30 September 2023, after the court had overturned a previous expulsion. When he still showed up, chaos ensued. At the request of the board, Van Hooft was removed by the police, and the congress was adjourned without electing a lead candidate or establishing an election program.[31] The court then overturned Van Hooft's expulsion again on 6 October. During a digital vote on 7 October - two days before the election deadline - the party elected Van Hooft as the lead candidate with 51% of the votes.[32] Verkoelen then left the party and founded the Young Seniors Union (JOU).[33] In the election, 50PLUS did not receive enough votes for a seat.
| Election | Lead candidate | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | Government | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 177,631 | 1.88 | 2 | [34] | ||||
| 2017 | 327,131 | 3.11 | 2 | [35] | ||||
| 2021 | 106,658 | 1.02 | 3 | [36] | ||||
| 2023 | 51,043 | 0.49 | 1 | [37] |
| Election | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 2,193 | 1.3 | 1 | [38] | ||
| 2015 | 4,388 | 2.6 | 1 | [39] | ||
| 2019 | 5,251 | 3.0 | 0 | [40] | ||
| 2023 | 3,264 | 1.8 | 1 | [41] |
| Election | List | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | EP Group | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | List | 175,343 | 3.69 | New | – | ||
| 2019 | List | 215,199 | 3.91 | 1 | EPP | ||
| 2024 | List | 58,498 | 0.94 | 1 |
| Election | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | New | ||||
| 2015 | 204,858 | 5 | |||
| 2019 | 265,215 | 3 | |||
| 2023 | 178,014 | 9 |
See main article: Members of the House of Representatives of the Netherlands for 50PLUS.
See main article: List of members of the Senate of the Netherlands, 2023–2027.