A board for the 2021 elections. Photo: Remko de Waal
Netherlands has an ever-expanding range of political parties in parliament, due to the recent trend of dissidents breaking away after an intra-party row to form their own splinter group. There are also various flavours of Christianity to choose from.
Here’s an alphabetical list of the 13 parties that currently hold seats in parliament, in alphabetical order, and three hopefuls which, the polls suggest, are in with a chance in the March general election.
50PLUS
Seats in parliament: 3 Campaign slogan: No
Founded in 2009 as a pensioners’ rights party – despite being named for the over-50s – 50PLUS has been bedeviled by splits and rivalries, and former leader Henk Krol is now standing for parliament under his own name. The party wants the retirement age brought back to 65. Manifesto
Tobago needs a green party -
The political party known as Party for the Animals was founded in the Netherlands in 2002 by Marianne Thieme and associates. The party’s main goals include animal rights and animal welfare and extend to address issues related to the wider environment.
Why am I highlighting a Dutch party on the eve of the 2021 Tobago House of Assembly election?
Allow me to share some excerpts from the Dutch party’s website to make my point:
1. “The Dutch Party for the Animals is the first successful political party in the world that does not put the short-term interests of man above all, but instead the entire planet and all her inhabitants. A fundamentally different approach than the traditional parties, which focus on the short-term interests of people and in particularly on money and economic growth without thinking about the consequences for humans, animals, nature, and the environment.”