This article lists political parties in the Netherlands. The country has a multi-party system with numerous political parties, in which any one party has little chance of gaining power alone; parties often work with each other to form coalition governments.
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.
The first national political party was the Anti-Revolutionary Party (ARP), founded in 1879.[1]
No party has won (close to) a majority of seats since the introduction of proportional representation in 1918.[2] 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.
| Political party | Active in | Seats in the prov. council | European affiliation | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FNP | Frisian National Party | EFA | |||||
| GB | Groninger Interest | — | |||||
| LB | Local Brabant | — | |||||
| LL | Local Limburg | — | |||||
| PvhN | Party for the North | Groningen: | — | ||||
| PvZ | Party for Zeeland | — | |||||
| PBF | | — | |||||
| SLD | Strong Local Drenthe | — | |||||
| SLF | Strong Local Flevoland | — | |||||
| Party | Main ideology | Position | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forza! | Forza! Netherlands | Right-wing populism | Right-wing | |||
| HvDH | Heart for The Hague | Right-wing | ||||
| LR | Livable Rotterdam | Fortuynism | Right-wing | |||
| VSP | United Seniors Party | Pensioners' interests | Single-issue politics | |||
| Political party | Main ideology | Position | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AWP | General Water Board Party | Apoliticism | Syncretic | |||
| WN | Water Natuurlijk | Green politics | Centre-left | |||
| Party | Ideology | Start | End | Max vote share | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Actie Bouwman | 1934 | 1940 | 0.57 | [36] | ||
| General Elderly Alliance Dutch; Flemish: Algemeen Ouderen Verbond (AOV) | 1993 | 3.63 | ||||
| General League of Roman Catholic Electoral Associations Dutch; Flemish: Algemeene Bond van Roomsch-Katholieke Kiesverenigingen | 1904 | 1926 | 30.03 | |||
| Article 50 Dutch; Flemish: Artikel 50 | 2012 | 2015 | 0.51 | |||
| General Dutch Fascist League Dutch; Flemish: Algemeene Nederlandsche Fascisten Bond (ANFB) | Fascism | 1932 | 1934 | |||
| Anti-Revolutionary Party Dutch; Flemish: Anti-Revolutionaire Partij (ARP) | 1879 | 1980 | ||||
| Workers Party of the Netherlands Dutch; Flemish: Arbeiderspartij van Nederland | ||||||
| Farmers' Party Dutch; Flemish: Boerenpartij | 1958 | 1981 | 4.77 | |||
| League of Christian Socialists Dutch; Flemish: Bond Christen-Socialisten | ||||||
| League of Free Liberals Dutch; Flemish: Bond van Vrije Liberalen | 1906 | 1921 | ||||
| Centre Democrats Dutch; Flemish: Centrum Democraten (CD) | 1984 | 2002 | 2.46 | |||
| Centre Party Dutch; Flemish: Centrumpartij | 1980 | 1986 | 0.83 | |||
| Centre Party '86 Dutch; Flemish: Centrumpartij '86 | 1986 | 1998 | ||||
| Christian Democratic Party Dutch; Flemish: Christen-Democratische Partij | ||||||
| Christian Democratic Union Dutch; Flemish: Christelijk-Democratische Unie | 1926 | 1946 | 2.09 | |||
| Christian Historical Union Dutch; Flemish: Christelijk-Historische Unie (CHU) | 1908 | 1980 | ||||
| Christian Social Party Dutch; Flemish: Christelijk-Sociale Partij (CSP) | 1907 | 1926 | ||||
| Christian Historical Voters' League Dutch; Flemish: Christelijk Historische Kiezersbond (CHK) | 1897 | 1903 | ||||
| Christian Historical Party Dutch; Flemish: Christelijk Historische Partij | 1903 | 1908 | ||||
| Communist Party of the Netherlands Dutch; Flemish: Communistische Partij Nederland (CPN) | 1901 | 1991 | 10.56 | |||
| Democratic Party Dutch; Flemish: Democratische Partij | 1921 | 1932 | ||||
| Democratic Socialists '70 Dutch; Flemish: Democratisch Socialisten '70 (DS'70) | 1970 | 1983 | 5.33 | |||
| Economic League Dutch; Flemish: Economische Bond (EB) | 1917 | 1921 | 3.11 | |||
| Entrepreneurs' Party Dutch; Flemish: OndernemersPartij (OP) | 2015 | 2019 | 0.12 | |||
| Europe Transparent | ||||||
| Evangelical People's Party Dutch; Flemish: Evangelische Volkspartij (EVP) | 1981 | 1991 | 0.69 | |||
| Fatherland League | ||||||
| Free and Social Netherlands | ||||||
| Frisian League Dutch; Flemish: Friesche Bond | 1898 | 1908 | ||||
| Reformed Political League Dutch; Flemish: Gereformeerd Politiek Verbond (GPV) | 1948 | 2003 | 1.77 | |||
| Dutch; Flemish: [[Hervormd Gereformeerde Staatspartij]] | 1921 | 1946 | 1.06 | |||
| Independent Socialist Party | ||||||
| Islam Democrats | ||||||
| Catholic National Party | 2.71 | |||||
| Catholic People's Party | 1945 | 1980 | 31.88 | |||
| Communist Workers Organisation (Marxist–Leninist) | ||||||
| Communist Unity Movement of the Netherlands (Marxist–Leninist) Dutch; Flemish: Kommunistiese Eenheidsbeweging Nederland | Communism | 1964 | 1985 | 0.03 | ||
| Independent Citizens' Party | ||||||
| Livable Netherlands Dutch; Flemish: Leefbaar Nederland (LN | 1999 | 2007 | 1.61 | |||
| Liberal State Party Dutch; Flemish: Liberale Staatspartij (LSP) | 1921 | 1946 | 9.26 | |||
| Liberal Party Dutch; Flemish: Liberale Partij | 1922 | 1925 | ||||
| Liberal Union | 1885 | 1921 | ||||
| Pim Fortuyn List Dutch; Flemish: Lijst Pim Fortuyn (LPF) | 2002 | 2008 | 17.00 | |||
| Ratelband List | ||||||
| Middle Party for City and Country | ||||||
| Middle Class Party | ||||||
| National Socialist Dutch Workers Party Dutch; Flemish: Nationaal-Socialistische Nederlandsche Arbeiderspartij (NSNAP) | National socialism | 1931 | 1941 | 0.02 | ||
| National Socialist Movement Dutch; Flemish: Nationaal-Socialistische Beweging (NSB) | Fascism | 1931 | 1945 | 4.22 | ||
| National Alliance | ||||||
| Dutch Block | ||||||
| New Middle Party | ||||||
| Neutral Party | ||||||
| New National Party Dutch; Flemish: Nieuwe Nationale Partij (NNP) | 1998 | 2005 | ||||
| New Right Dutch; Flemish: Nieuw Rechts | 2003 | 2007 | ||||
| NIDA | ||||||
| New Ways Dutch; Flemish: Nieuwe Wegen | 0.14 | |||||
| Pacifist Socialist Party | 1957 | 1991 | 3.03 | |||
| Party of the Future | 2021 | |||||
| Party for Neighbourly Love, Freedom and Diversity | 2022 | |||||
| Freedom Party Dutch; Flemish: Partij van de Vrijheid (PvdV) | 1946 | 1948 | 6.41 | |||
| Party for Justice, Action and Progress | ||||||
| Peasants' League | ||||||
| Political Party of Radicals Dutch; Flemish: Politieke Partij Radikalen (PPR) | 1968 | 1990 | 4.80 | |||
| Progressive Integration Party | ||||||
| Radical League | ||||||
| Reformatory Political Federation | 1975 | 2003 | ||||
| Roman Catholic Party of the Netherlands | 0.92 | |||||
| Roman Catholic State Party | 1926 | 1945 | 29.64 | |||
| Social Democratic Workers' Party | 1894 | 1946 | 23.81 | |||
| Social Democratic League | ||||||
| Socialist Party | ||||||
| Union 55+ | ||||||
| Alliance for the Democratisation of the Army | ||||||
| League of Communists in the Netherlands | ||||||
| Alliance for National Reconstruction Dutch; Flemish: Verbond voor Nationaal Herstel | 1933 | 1941 | 0.8 | |||
| VoorNederland | 2014 | 2017 | 0.36 | |||
| Free-minded Party | ||||||
| Free-thinking Democratic League Dutch; Flemish: Vrijzinnig Democratische Bond (VDB) | 1901 | 1946 | 9.06 | |||
| Free Anti Revolutionary Party Dutch; Flemish: Vrij-Antirevolutionaire Partij (VAR) | 1898 | 1903 | ||||
| Union of Actualists Dutch; Flemish: Verbond van Actualisten | Actualism | 1923 | 1928 | [37] |