| Country: | the Netherlands |
| People's Party for Freedom and Democracy | |
| Native Name: | Volkspartij voor Vrijheid en Democratie |
| Native Name Lang: | nl |
| Abbreviation: | VVD |
| Leader: | Dilan Yeşilgöz |
| Leader1 Name: | Edith Schippers |
| Leader2 Title: | Leader in the House |
| Leader2 Name: | Dilan Yeşilgöz |
| Leader3 Title: | Leader in the European Parliament |
| Leader3 Name: | Malik Azmani |
| Merger: | Freedom Party, Committee-Oud |
| Seats1 Title: | Senate |
| Seats2 Title: | House of Representatives |
| Seats4 Title: | Provincial councils |
| Seats5 Title: | European Parliament |
| Seats6 Title: | Benelux Parliament |
| Youth Wing: | Youth Organisation Freedom and Democracy |
| Wing1 Title: | Policy institute |
| Wing1: | Telders Foundation |
| Membership Year: | 2024 |
| Membership: | 22,473[1] |
| Position: | Centre-right |
| European: | Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe |
| International: | Liberal International |
| Europarl: | Renew Europe |
| Regional: | Liberal Group[2] |
| Colours: | Ultramarine Orange |
| Headquarters: | Mauritskade 21, 2514 HD The Hague, South Holland |
The People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (Dutch; Flemish: Volkspartij voor Vrijheid en Democratie in Dutch; Flemish pronounced as /ˈvɔl(ə)kspɑrˌtɛi voːr ˈvrɛiɦɛit ɛn deːmoːkra:ˈtsi/, VVD) is a conservative-liberal political party in the Netherlands. The VVD, whose forerunner was the Freedom Party, is a party of the centre-right[3] [4] that tries to promote private enterprise and economic liberalism.[5] [6] [7]
The VVD was originally a merger of the Party of Freedom and Freethinking Democratic dissenters within the Labour Party. In this name, both tendencies, classical liberalism ("Freedom") and social liberalism ("People's Party"; "Democracy") are represented. Despite being a liberal party, the VVD did not openly call itself "liberal", mainly because of the (for some) still-lingering negative connotations of liberalism developed during the Great Depression and World War II.
The most common English translation of the name is the literal translation, People's Party for Freedom and Democracy.[8] [9] [10]
The VVD was founded in 1948 as a continuation of the Freedom Party,[11] which was a continuation of the interbellum Liberal State Party,[12] which in turn was a continuation of Liberal Union.[13] They were joined by the Comité-Oud, a group of liberal members of the Labour Party (PvdA), led by Pieter Oud. The liberals within the Labour Party were primarily members of the pre-war social liberal Free-thinking Democratic League (VDB) who had gone on to join the Labour Party in the post-war Doorbraak ("Breakthrough") movement. However, they believed that the Labour Party was becoming too socialist for their liking. Oud became the merged party's first leader.
Between 1948 and 1952, the VVD took part in the broad cabinets led by the Labour Party Prime Minister Willem Drees. The party was a junior partner with only eight seats to the Catholic People's Party (KVP) and Labour Party, which both had around thirty seats (out of 100). The Drees cabinets laid the foundation for the welfare state and decolonisation of the Dutch East Indies. In the general election of 1952 the VVD gained one seat, but did not join the government. In the general election of 1956 it increased its total, receiving thirteen seats, but was still kept out of government during the cabinet formation,[14] until the general election of 1959, which was held early because of a cabinet crisis. This time it gained nineteen seats, and the party entered government alongside the Protestant Anti-Revolutionary Party (ARP), the Christian Historical Union (CHU) and the KVP.
In 1963, Oud retired from politics, and was succeeded by the Minister of the Interior Edzo Toxopeus. With Toxopeus as its leader, the VVD lost three seats in the 1963 election, but remained in government after the 1963 cabinet formation. In 1962, a substantial group of disillusioned VVD members founded the Liberal Democratic Centre (Dutch; Flemish: Liberaal Democratisch Centrum, LDC) which was intended to introduce a more twentieth-century liberal direction to the classical liberal VVD. In 1966, frustrated with their hopeless efforts, left-wing LDC members joined a new political party, the Democrats 66 (D66).
In 1965, there also occurred a conflict between VVD Ministers and their counterparts from the KVP and ARP in the Marijnen cabinet. The cabinet fell; without an election taking place, it was replaced by a KVP–ARP–PvdA cabinet under Jo Cals, which itself fell during the Night of Schmelzer the following year. In the subsequent 1967 election the VVD remained relatively stable and entered the De Jong cabinet.
During this period the VVD had loose ties with other liberal organisations; together, these formed the neutral pillar. They included the liberal papers Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant and Algemeen Handelsblad, the broadcaster AVRO and the employers' organisation VNO.
In the Dutch general election of 1971, the VVD lost one seat and the cabinet lost its majority. A cabinet was formed by the Christian democratic parties, the VVD and the Labour Party offshoot Democratic Socialists '70. This cabinet collapsed after a few months. Meanwhile, the charismatic young MP Hans Wiegel had attracted considerable attention. He became the new leader of the VVD. In 1971, he became the new parliamentary leader, and he was appointed lead candidate in 1972. Under Wiegel's leadership, the party oriented towards a new political course, aiming to reform the welfare state and cut taxes. Wiegel did not shrink from conflict with the Labour Party and the trade unions. With this new course came a new electorate: working-class and middle-class voters who, because of individualisation and depillarisation, were more easy to attract.
The course proved to be profitable: in the heavily polarised general election of 1972, the VVD gained six seats. The VVD was kept out of government by the social democratic and Christian democratic Den Uyl cabinet. Although the ties between the VVD and other organisations within the neutral pillar became ever looser, the number of neutral organisations friendly to the VVD grew. The TROS and later Veronica, new broadcasters which entered the Netherlands Public Broadcasting, were friendly to the VVD. In 1977, the VVD again won six seats, bringing its total to twenty-eight seats. When lengthy formation talks between the social democrats and Christian democrats eventually led to a final break between the two parties, the VVD formed cabinet with the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA), with a majority of only two seats.
In the general election of 1981, the VVD lost two seats and its partner the CDA lost even more. The cabinet was without a majority and a CDA, Labour and D66 cabinet was formed, falling after only a few months. In 1982, Hans Wiegel left Parliament to become Queen's Commissioner in Friesland and was succeeded by Ed Nijpels. In the general election of 1982 Nijpels' VVD gained ten seats, bringing its total up to 36. Once again, it formed the First Lubbers cabinet with the CDA. The cabinet began a programme of radical reform of the welfare state, which is still in place today. The VVD lost nine seats in the 1986 election but the cabinet nonetheless retained its majority. The losses were blamed on Nijpels, who stood down as leader of the VVD. He was succeeded by Joris Voorhoeve. In 1989 the CDA–VVD cabinet fell over a minor issue, and the VVD lost five seats in the subsequent election, leaving only twenty-two. The VVD was kept out of government, and Voorhoeve stood down and was succeeded by the charismatic intellectual Frits Bolkestein.
Bolkestein's VVD was one of the winners of the Dutch general election of 1994: the party gained nine seats. It formed an unprecedented government with the Labour Party (PvdA) and the social liberal Democrats 66. The so-called "purple cabinet" led by Wim Kok was the first Dutch government without any Christian parties since 1918. Like many of his predecessors, Bolkestein remained in parliament. His political style was characterised by some as "opposition to one's own government". This style was very successful and the VVD gained another seven seats in the 1998 election, becoming the second largest party in parliament with thirty-eight seats. The VVD formed a second Purple cabinet with the Labour Party and D66. Bolkestein left Dutch politics in 1999 to become European Commissioner. He was replaced by the more technocratic and social liberal Hans Dijkstal.
In the heavily polarised Dutch general election of 2002, dominated by the rise and murder of Pim Fortuyn, the VVD lost fourteen seats, leaving only twenty-four. The VVD nonetheless entered a cabinet with the Christian Democratic Appeal and the Pim Fortuyn List (LPF). Dijkstal stood down and was replaced by the popular former Minister of Finance Gerrit Zalm. After a few months, Zalm "pulled the plug" on the First Balkenende cabinet, after infighting between LPF ministers Eduard Bomhoff and Herman Heinsbroek.
In the subsequent general election of 2003, the VVD with Gerrit Zalm as lead candidate gained four seats, making a total of twenty-eight. The party had expected to do much better, having adopted most of Fortuyn's proposals on immigration and integration. The VVD unwillingly entered the Second Balkenende cabinet with Zalm returning as Minister of Finance and as Deputy Prime Minister. On 2 September 2004, Geert Wilders, a Member of the House of Representatives, left the party after a dispute with parliamentary leader Van Aartsen. He chose to continue as an Independent in the House of Representatives. On 27 November 2004 Zalm was succeeded as Leader by the Parliamentary leader of the VVD in the House of Representatives Jozias van Aartsen.
In 2006, the party lost a considerable number of seats in the municipal elections, prompting parliamentary leader Van Aartsen to step down. Willibrord van Beek was subsequently appointed parliamentary leader ad interim. In the subsequent party leadership election Mark Rutte was elected as the leader, defeating Rita Verdonk and Jelleke Veenendaal.[15]
The general election of 2006 did not start off well for the VVD: Mark Rutte was criticised by his own parliamentary party for being invisible in the campaign, and he was unable to break the attention away from the duel between then-Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende of the Christian democrats and Wouter Bos of the Labour Party. However, the VVD's campaign started relatively late.[16] The election polls showed losses for the VVD; the former VVD deputy Prime Minister Hans Wiegel blamed a poor VVD campaign for this, caused by the heavily contested VVD leadership run-off between Mark Rutte and Rita Verdonk earlier in the year. Verdonk had her eyes on the deputy-minister post, while cabinet posts are normally decided upon by the political leader of the VVD.[17] On election day, the party received enough votes for twenty-two seats, a loss of six seats. When the official election results were announced on Monday 27 November 2006, preferential votes became known as well, showing that Rita Verdonk, the second candidate on the list, had obtained more votes than the VVD's lead candidate, Mark Rutte. Rutte had received 553,200 votes, while Verdonk had received 620,555.[18] This led Verdonk to call for a party commission that would investigate the party leadership position, as a consequence of the situation of her obtaining more votes in the general election than Rutte, creating a short-lived crisis in the party.[19] A crisis was averted when Rutte called for an ultimatum on his leadership, which Verdonk had to reconcile to, by rejecting her proposal for a party commission.[20] During 2007, signs of VVD infighting continued to play in the media. In June 2007, the former VVD minister Dekker presented a report on the previous election, showing that the VVD lacked clear leadership roles, however the report did not single out individuals for blame for the party's losses.[21]
After Verdonk renewed her criticism of the party in September 2007, she was expelled from the parliamentary faction, and subsequently relinquished her membership of the party, after reconciliation attempts had proven futile.[22] [23] Verdonk started her own political movement, Proud of the Netherlands, subsequently. In opinion polls held after Verdonk's exit, the VVD was set to lose close to ten parliamentary seats in the next election.[24] [25] [26]
After the 2010 general election the VVD became the largest party with 31 seats and was the senior party in a centre-right minority First Rutte cabinet with the Christian Democratic Appeal supported by the Party for Freedom (PVV) of Geert Wilders to obtain a majority. Rutte was sworn in as Prime Minister on 21 October 2010. Not only was it the first time that the VVD had led a government, but it was the first liberal-led government in 92 years. However, on 21 April 2012, after failed negotiations with the PVV on renewed budget cuts, the government became unstable and Mark Rutte deemed it likely that a new election would be held in 2012.[27] On election day, 12 September 2012, the VVD remained the largest party in parliament, winning 41 seats, a gain of 10 seats.
After the 2012 general election, the VVD entered into a ruling coalition with the Labour Party as its junior coalition partner. This coalition lasted a full term, but lost its majority at the 2017 election; the VVD itself lost eight seats, though remained the largest party with 33.[28] Rutte became Prime Minister again, forming a centre-right green cabinet with the Christian Democratic Appeal, Democrats 66 and the Christian Union. In March 2021, VVD was the winner of the general election, securing 34 out of 150 seats. Prime Minister Mark Rutte, in power since 2010, formed his fourth VVD-led coalition.[29]
After the Fourth Rutte cabinet broke down due to disagreements over migration policy, a new election was called for 22 November 2023. Rutte announced that he would step down as leader of the VVD, and that at the installation of a new government following the election, he would leave Dutch politics.[30] Dilan Yeşilgöz became the new leader of the party in August 2023 after running unopposed in the leadership election.[31] Following the 2023 general election, the VVD was reduced to 24 seats in the House of Representatives, their worst since the 2006 general election. It entered formation talks with the Party for Freedom, the election winner, and the new parties New Social Contract and Farmer–Citizen Movement, leading to the right-wing Schoof cabinet.[32]
The VVD is described as conservative-liberal,[33] [34] [35] [36] liberal-conservative,[37] [38] [39] conservative,[40] [41] [42] and classical liberal.[43]
The VVD describes itself as a party founded on a liberal philosophy.[44] Traditionally, the party is the most ardent supporter of 'free markets' of all Dutch political parties, promoting political, economic liberalism, classical liberalism, cultural liberalism; in contrast to this, it is also committed to the idea of the welfare state.
After 1971, the party became more populist, although some conservative liberal elements remain.[6] The 2006 leadership election was interpreted by many as a conflict between a liberal group and a conservative group within the VVD, with the distinctly liberal Rutte beating conservative Verdonk;[45] 52% of the electorate voted for Rutte, while 46% voted for Verdonk.[46]
The principles of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy were outlined in the "Liberal Manifesto" (Liberaal Manifest) and latterly the election programmes. The Liberal Manifesto was a general outlook on the direction of the party would like to mirror itself and is an extension of the party's foundational principles.[47] The election programmes are more oriented to practical politics, for example, winning the elections on-the-day and by any means possible. The last Liberal Manifesto of the VVD was published in September 2005.[47] It developed a broad outline around the themes of democracy, security, freedom and citizenship, along with a vision of the future of party's internal structure. Below some of the points from the Manifesto are presented:
| Election | Lead candidate | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | Government |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 | Pieter Oud | 391,908 | 7.9 (#5) | New | ||
| 1952 | 470,820 | 8.8 (#5) | 1 | |||
| 1956 | 502,325 | 8.7 (#4) | 4 | |||
| 1959 | 732,658 | 12.2 (#3) | 6 | |||
| 1963 | Edzo Toxopeus | 643,839 | 10.2 (#3) | 3 | ||
| 1967 | 738,202 | 10.7 (#3) | 1 | |||
| 1971 | Molly Geertsema | 653,092 | 10.3 (#3) | 1 | ||
| 1972 | Hans Wiegel | 1,068,375 | 14.4 (#3) | 6 | ||
| 1977 | 1,492,689 | 17.0 (#3) | 6 | |||
| 1981 | 1,504,293 | 17.3 (#3) | 2 | |||
| 1982 | Ed Nijpels | 1,897,986 | 23.1 (#3) | 10 | ||
| 1986 | 1,595,377 | 17.4 (#3) | 9 | |||
| 1989 | Joris Voorhoeve | 1,295,402 | 14.6 (#3) | 5 | ||
| 1994 | Frits Bolkestein | 1,792,401 | 20.0 (#3) | 9 | ||
| 1998 | 2,124,971 | 24.7 (#2) | 7 | |||
| 2002 | Hans Dijkstal | 1,466,722 | 15.4 (#3) | 14 | ||
| 2003 | Gerrit Zalm | 1,728,707 | 17.9 (#3) | 4 | ||
| 2006 | Mark Rutte | 1,443,312 | 14.7 (#4) | 6 | ||
| 2010 | 1,929,575 | 20.5 (#1) | 9 | |||
| 2012 | 2,504,948 | 26.6 (#1) | 10 | |||
| 2017 | 2,238,351 | 21.3 (#1) | 8 | |||
| 2021 | 2,276,514 | 21.9 (#1) | 1 | |||
| 2023 | Dilan Yeşilgöz | 1,589,519 | 15.24 (#3) | 10 | ||
| Election | Votes | Weight | % | Seats | +/– | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 | New | |||||
| 1951 | 1 | |||||
| 1952 | ||||||
| 1955 | ||||||
| Apr 1956 | ||||||
| Oct 1956 | 3 | |||||
| 1960 | 1 | |||||
| 1963 | 1 | |||||
| 1966 | 1 | |||||
| 1969 | ||||||
| 1971 | ||||||
| 1974 | 4 | |||||
| 1977 | 3 | |||||
| 1980 | 2 | |||||
| 1981 | 1 | |||||
| 1983 | 5 | |||||
| 1986 | 1 | |||||
| 1987 | 4 | |||||
| 1991 | ||||||
| 1995 | 11 | |||||
| 1999 | 39,809 | 25,3 (#2) | 4 | |||
| 2003 | 31,026 | 19,2 (#3) | 4 | |||
| 2007 | 31,360 | 19,2 (#2) | 1 | |||
| 2011 | 111 | 34,590 | 20.83 (#1) | 2 | ||
| 2015 | 90 | 28,523 | 16.87 (#1) | 3 | ||
| 2019 | 78 | 26,157 | 15.11 (#2) | 1 | ||
| 2023 | 67 | 22,194 | 12.40 (#2) | 2 |
| Election | List | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | EP Group |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | List | 914,787 | 16.14 (#3) | New | LD | |
| 1984 | List | 1,002,685 | 18.93 (#3) | 1 | LDR | |
| 1989 | List | 714.745 | 13,63 (#3) | 2 | ||
| 1994 | List | 740.443 | 17,91 (#3) | 3 | ELDR | |
| 1999 | List | 698,050 | 19.69 (#3) | 0 | ||
| 2004 | List | 629.198 | 13,20 (#3) | 2 | ALDE | |
| 2009 | List | 518.643 | 11,39 (#4) | 1 | ||
| 2014 | List | 571,176 | 12.02 (#4) | 0 | ||
| 2019 | List | 805,100 | 14.64 (#2) | 1 | RE | |
| 1 | ||||||
| 2024 | List | 707,141 | 11.35 (#3) | 1 |
See main article: Schoof cabinet.
See also: Members of the House of Representatives of the Netherlands for People's Party for Freedom and Democracy and List of members of the House of Representatives of the Netherlands, 2023–present.
See also: List of members of the Senate of the Netherlands, 2023–2027.
See main article: List of members of the European Parliament for the Netherlands, 2024–2029.
In the European Committee of the Regions, VVD sits in the Renew Europe CoR Group, with one full and two alternate members for the 2020-2025 mandate.[49] [50] Martijn van Gruijthuijsen is Coordinator in the ECON Commission.[51]
Historically, the VVD electorate consisted mainly of secular middle-class[52] and upper-class voters, with a strong support from entrepreneurs. Under the leadership of Wiegel, the VVD started to expand its appeal to working class voters.
The highest organ of the VVD is the General Assembly, in which all members present have a single vote. It convenes usually twice every year. It appoints the party board and decides on the party programme.
The order of the First Chamber, Second Chamber and European Parliament candidates list is decided by a referendum under all members voting by internet, phone or mail. If contested, the lead candidate of a candidates lists is appointed in a separate referendum in advance. Since 2002 the General Assembly can call for a referendum on other subjects too.
About 90 members elected by the members in meetings of the regional branches form the Party Council, which advises the Party Board in the months that the General Assembly does not convene. This is an important forum within the party. The party board handles the daily affairs of the party.
The independent youth organisation that has a partnership agreement with the VVD is the Youth Organisation Freedom and Democracy (Jongeren Organisatie Vrijheid en Democratie, JOVD), which is a member of the Liberal Youth Movement of the European Union and the International Federation of Liberal and Radical Youth.
The education institute of the VVD is the Haya van Someren Foundation. The Telders Foundation is the party's scientific institute and publishes the magazine Liberaal Reveil every two months. The party published the magazine Liber bi-monthly.
The VVD is a member of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party and Liberal International.
The VVD participates in the Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy, a democracy assistance organisation of seven Dutch political parties.