www.worldcommercereview.com results oftheDutch andconsider elections, thegrowth Fleur andPatrick de Beaufort interpret van Schie the in the support for the alternativein thesupport 'populist'parties The Dutch elections The Dutch elections and ‘populism’ www.worldcommercereview.com and apparently more interestingly –their exclusion ofspecificparties. outset themediasought to elicitstatements from theleadingcandidates – asto theirpotential coalition partners Even democrats theChristian changedtheirleadingcandidate thecontest during dueto circumstances. At the oftheirrank andfile, and support remained. responsible asaminister intheprevious inhiscapacity government), whileothersexplicitly secured the ongoing social democrats were urgently compelled to seekanewleadingcandidate (becausetheircurrent onehadbeen The fallofthe Rutte IIIgovernment was accompanied by thedemiseofoddkeypoliticalplayer andthe oftime.period Administration office wrongly accuse and prosecute the recipients ofchildcare allowances as frauds over alengthy inthewake ofasocialallowance Rutte)Prime fell Mark affairwhichsaw Minister on15 January the Tax and Customs themeantime, (thethirdIn cabinetof theexisting government parties coalition offour andcentre-left centre-right ofnewcompetitors. birth cooperation’. ensuedinthe Ontheright, conflicts weeks preceding which theelections, resulted insplitsandthe many years now, inrelation to theyagainbeat aboutthebushasiscustomary thecontentious issueof ‘greater have invain aboutcombining Party] Partij theirforces [Socialist andtheSocialistische beentalking Party], for (PvdA), –thePartij van where [LabourParty] deArbeid On theleft, GroenLinks three [Green-Left politicalparties were forelections remarkable variousreasons andtherun-upto themproceeded more messilythan ever before. chambers comprising theDutch sought parliament. aseat As inthenewSecondChamber. many as37parties The were March 2021thescheduledelections In heldfor theSecondChamber, ofthetwo whichisthemore important The background intheNetherlands to theelections www.worldcommercereview.com would notbeexcessively busy. coronavirus crisis, over ithadbeendecidedto staggertheelections three days to ensure that thepollingstations At amore level, alsoproceeded practical theelections differently from what was customary. As a result ofthe viewpointsextreme left-wing invariably went unchallenged. particular,In thishadalready beenthefate oftheexplicit right-wing flankonmore thanoneoccasion, while government without the VVD the without government will emerge, because it is impossible to form a stable stable a form to impossible is it because emerge, will ... there is a good chance that a Rutte IV government government IV Rutte a that chance good a is there ... www.worldcommercereview.com Chamber. anumberofcasesnewcomers In breakaways are actually fromsuchasJA21,whose existing parties, promotion (BIJ1) have ofafederal andanti-discrimination come Europe to berepresented (VOLT), intheSecond threshold the world withmerely oneseat intheLower House(representing asanelectoral 0.67%ofthevotes cast)serving that hasoneofthepurest theNetherlands dueto representation systems thefact ofproportional is partly in This meant that apost-war record represented. was achieved interms ofthenumberparties This large number total of150seats. managedto obtainasufficient numberof votesparties tosecure Second aseat inthe Chamber, which a comprises What results. isofcourse more oftheelection interesting First aspects isto examine anumberofstriking ofall, 17 The results interpreted ‘average’ by Dutch standards. of thefinaloutcome.In spite ofwhat circumstances,were extraordinary of78.7% theturnout could be termed that was some65,000votes reported It (ofthetotal of10,462,677ballotscast)were notcounted for thepurposes many theprocedure failedto observe properly, withtheresult that even thentheirvote was declared invalid. addition,thosevotersIn whowere olderthan70years ofagehadtheoptioncastingapostalvote. Nevertheless, Since then parties whichspecifically (50PLUS)focus on theelderly Since thenparties to secure aseat inparliament (Partij voor deDieren). focusing onanimal welfare was2006 theNetherlands thefirst inwhichapoliticalparty managed European country gainingaccess to parliamentispersisting. parties Partly asaresult In ofthis, thetrend single-issue toward so-called 1 . As such,itisrelatively to gainaccess to simplefor theSecondChamber. anewparty 2 , rural interests (BoerBurgerBeweging), the www.worldcommercereview.com parties have to whoareparties contend ageingthemost withsupporters ofvoters than15seats in2021.Asurvey hasalsorevealed failedto advance further that thesetraditional the party revivalA brief featuring scores inexcess of40seats was followed by adrop to alow point of13seats in2012, and initially begansomewhat withaprovisional earlier trough of29seats in1998. CDA [Christian whichalways Democratic Party]), achieved between 1922and1967,thedecline anabsolute majority theyhave thelasttwo elections failedtoIn winmore thannineseats. democrats thecaseofChristian (the In democrats (PvdA) usuallywon inexcess of40seats, withpeaksof more than50andtheodddeclineto 37seats. north and east of the country respectively), althoughtheywere andeastofthecountry forcednorth the to acknowledge in astheirsuperior VVD relative Friesland inseveral andthe majority rural municipalities, especially innorth-east Twente region (inthe The democrats, Christian whichwere inmostmunicipalities2002,managed to retain stillinthe majority their (D66 [Democrats 66]in2021. [People’s changedtheircolourNetherlands) to blue(VVD) dark for Party Freedom orlight green andDemocracy] ofthe municipality. Groningen (intheextremenorth-east Even bastions, thelastleft-wing suchasnorth-east hasalsofailedto emerge isthatWhat theleft asthelargest isalsoremarkable presence inany singleDutch of seats for years now, atrend at whichisalsooccurring theinternational level The ‘traditional’ have majorcurrents democracy ofsocialandChristian beenexhibiting adeclineintheirnumber internal division. founders theirbacksonexisting party, turned Forum voor Democratie [Forum following for Democracy], 4 . 3 . Between 1956and1998thesocial . Between www.worldcommercereview.com wing alternative’. This too occasions doubtaboutthe concept ofa victory’.‘liberal mostvoters infavour theirbacksonthetraditional thelastelections turned addition,during left ofD66asa In ‘left- persistent frequency. constitutional right to theinviolability oftheindividual’s own body, anditoptsfor more state with intervention For took theinitiative instance, to introduce thisparty legislation onorgan withthe donation which conflicts using thevague adjective, ‘progressive’, ithasadopted few liberal positions. of Rutte’s popularity. While itistruethat D66isusuallyviewed asliberal ininternational terms, andprofiles itself Moreover, thisyear thefallofgovernment seemsto have inJanuary failedto yieldany grounds for areduction thecoronavirus during pandemic. onliberty restrictions addition,Rutte that headedagovernment wasIn hardly whichhaspursuedapolicy liberal inthat itimposedstrict largely centredAs itscampaign such,theparty onthepersonofRutte intheabsence ofany explicit liberal message. manager. the right-wing liberal ispredominantly Rutte dueto VVD ofPrime asacrisis thepersistent Mark Minister popularity the questionremains as to whetherthismay ofliberalism. really becelebrated of asagenuinevictory The victory designated liberalThis (the isbecausetheparties andD66)together obtained moreVVD than58seats, although the Catholic southrespectively hasdissipated initsentirety. other municipalities. The democrat original socialand Christian predominance and inthelarge citiesandthenorth www.worldcommercereview.com power, and (d)anappealto and/or tieswithabodyofthought sourced from a ‘brown’ or ‘black’ past. leaderisat any rate(or thisishow presented) the party differently whowould doeverything ifthey were to seize such dissatisfied voters the comprise real peoplewhomthe ‘elite’ butcheats, nolongerserves (c) astrong leader attributed to itandare frequently cited are (a)playing upto dissatisfied voters, (b) presenting matters asthough what itentails. This isnottheplace to proceed withadiscussionofthematter, whichare althoughtheaspects whetherthere order isanyIn to ascertain questionof ‘populism’ onefirstneeds to determine amongst theseparties, ‘Populism’ ontheexplicit right? However, thisismisleadinginmany respects. are taggedas oftheseparties Most ‘populist’, appliedinthe foreign whichistheneagerly adescription media. good for 31seats and, assuch,islarger thanthetraditional left. Forum voor Democratie (FvD) isgrowing isprecisely –thePartij ofparties voor ontheright that acollection It de Vrijheid [Freedom (PVV), Party] issaidto besuffering.which thecountry This outcome inview oftheallegedly iseven more striking ‘neo-liberal’ yoke that isfrequently cited andunder wingintheDutch parliamentissmallerthanever,As such,the left ofalltheseats. noteven managing aquarter minor, ofPvdD, parties left-wing, single-issue VOLT than36seats. hasfailedto advance andBIJ1,theleft further than26seats. together oneaddsthe failedto advance If thetraditionalMore further parties to left-wing theleft 5 , JA21,Staatkundig Gereformeerde Partij [Reformed Political (SGP)–whichis Party] www.worldcommercereview.com Established in1918,theSGPisnow theoldestpolitical one mustimmediately treat theSGPasanexception. inthelight right intheNetherlands ofthesecriteria, onthe we parties If examine theabove-mentioned dissatisfaction. though theydeveloped anideologybasedontheir ‘populists’ ago, oftheirtimemore than acentury even whichare now onthewane,the parties were the democrats, thissensethesocialandChristian In of thenewcomers. political regime ormismanagedintheeyes neglected justified ornot)withmatters whichthedominant outfrom (whether dissatisfaction once started ortheirpredecessors All of theestablishedparties movements orparties. almost always applyinthe case ofnewpolitical would merely liketo notetwo that thefirst aspects them withaquestionabletendency. we thisrespect In is frequently cited circles inleft-wing inorder to align relevant academicliterature The are firstthree mainly sourced aspects from the 6 , while the fourth aspect aspect , whilethefourth www.worldcommercereview.com More importantly, voters cannotbecome amemberoftheparty, as Wilders isitssolemember quite simplysetuparound asingleleader. and theonewhichisalways categorised as ‘populistic andright-wing’ intheforeign media. hasbeen This party Still always representing more than10%oftheelectorate, Geert Wilders’ ontheexplicit right isthelargest party PVV asoppositionandisdisposedto accommodatingserve governments, albeitcritically. isprobably theonlyonethat hasnever beenrepresentedThe party inagovernment butwhichdoes notinitself politically’, albeitconstructively. to operate field.In parliament theSGPhasstarted with adistrustofstate inthesocio-economic intervention ‘more ideologysourced alsoespousesahighlydistinctive Calvinistic fromIt interpretation astrict, ofthebiblecoupled one ofthemoststableinNetherlands, consistently amounting to more than2%ofthevoters. inclined to testify baseis aspreachers from thepulpitthanaspoliticiansoperating support inthepoliticalarena. Its Calvinistic, extremelyorthodox anti-papal for many decades, andformerly more DutchThe party: SGPisatypically are older,democracy that currently espousethemare theparties younger. intheNetherlands. party While itistruethat thethree traditional tendencies ofliberalism, andsocial andChristian has its origins in the fear of the conflicts with which new parties are almostalwayshas itsorigins inthefear withwhichnewparties afflicted. oftheconflicts other party, Wilders members. allofhisfellow alsopersonally helpsto select parliamentary This desire for control 7 . More sothaninany www.worldcommercereview.com democracy’ andtheremedy was supposedto bemore democracy. direct (FvD) andits leader, original agendawas twofold. Baudet. Its Thierry were as The characterised otherparties ‘cartel For approximately five years there hasbeenanewcomerright-wing namely, onthe flank, Forum Democratie voor homosexuals. Traditionally, theextreme right, haslittlesympathy for thesetwo groups. constitutes athreat to traditional Dutch freedom, ofwhichheexplicitly inrespect refers to therightsofwomen and Firstly, andiseven heisnotanti-Semitic explicitly pro-Israel. Secondly, hisargument contends that Islam However, Wilderstwo definitely distinguisheshimselffrom in traditionally right-wingrespects. extreme parties criteria. oftheabove-mentioned consider thefourth andhisadmiration linksto for extremeright-wingHis parties ‘strong leaders’, and Putin, suchasOrban causeoneto sometimesperceivesomething whichMuslims to beprovocative and insulting. and thepresence oflarge groups in ofMuslims Western European countries. Wilders isvehement andexplicit, The question asto isjustifiedcloselyassociated whether thisdescription withone’s own assessment ofIslam oreven discriminatory ‘racist’. highly religious of his beliefs is this essential which causes many aspect Muslims. It of his opponents to brand him as He views Islamas anideologythat ishostileto Dutch values andwould therefore liketo reduce thenumberof concern. comes to hisprimary comprising sociallyandeconomically disadvantaged voters. orneglected Yet Wilders isuncompromising when it Wilders isrelatively appears base to listen flexible in to apotentialrelation support to issuesandhisparty various www.worldcommercereview.com Baudet, isthefirstfactor. had to contend withamajorbreakaway onthree occasions history. inits brief The personofitsleader, Thierry However, FvD isfrequently hasalready unfavourably portrayed inthenews becauseofthree andtheparty factors representation ofvoters whoare ‘not heard’. the Netherlands’ –featuring opensystem representation ofdemocracy pure proportional –offers scope for the ‘established parties’ devoted insufficient attention oftheelectorate at totheminthe eyes ofpart any rate andthat that thereThe fact was abreeding whichexpressed ground such concerns for isalsoanindication that the aparty expressing concerns whichare shared clearly withintheDutch electorate. Whatever conclusions onewishesto draw is inthisrespect, theyare legitimate positions andinthemtheparty to whichare reduce deemedtoand policy activities bepolluting. thosefarming associated withthis, to sensitive matters, ofincreasingly suchastheerection more inthecountryside windturbines A third issuewhichFvD hasusedto profile itselfemerged at alater stage:opposition to climate targets and, closely the EU. matters through referendums, includingthequestionasto shouldremain whethertheNetherlands amemberof istheremedy thiscasetoo that democracy isoffered. direct In The voters mustbeable to express theirviews onEU come to beunderthreat. of itsagendaliesinFvD’s viewthat European integration hasgonetoo far, withtheresult that thenation state has populist sentiment, brought withitwhenentered theDutch politicalarena 55years ago. The second component that isviewed asaneminent exampleThis ofanti- similarto component what D66,aparty ofitsagendaisvery www.worldcommercereview.com agenda without making any wild statementsagenda withoutmaking andto dosoinaway influence inwhichithopesto onitspolicy. exert months before theLower inMarch 2021. House elections claimsthat itwishesto highlight FvD’sThis party original Aversion led twoto abreakaway to factors thefirst oftheabove-mentioned from FvD to establishJA21several 200 deceased Dutch citizens whowere onboard Flight MH-17. national interests, that itissocasualin itsdealingswiththeinterests ofthealmost itisremarkable ofthesurvivors messages,electronic thispositionis(also?)linkedto RussianfundingofFvD. the that For claimsto support aparty Baudet issympathetic to Russianpropaganda to thiscrime Ukraine.According whichascribes to leakedinternal of 2014was indeedbrought down by rebels. pro-Russian Flight MH-17,anaircraft withmainlyDutch passengerswhichwas shotdown above inthesummer eastern Ukraine behaviour. The mostdistressing withintheDutch context isthat Baudetconstantly raises doubtsasto whether A third liesinhisundisguisedadmiration factor for Putin to deny andhistendency orcondone aggressive Russian whitesuggest abeliefinsuperior race, provided isdeemedto that be itsconduct ‘masculine’. distance himself from them.More to thepoint, onmore thanoneoccasion hehasalsomadestatements which Related to –isthat this–thesecond andBaudetdoesnot racist factor statements regularly occur withintheparty difficult, becauseBaudetissomewhat capricious. wherewithal to memberswhodonotadmire secure himuncritically. theloyalty offellow party The situation ismore He doesnottolerate occurs more inpolitics, opposition,whichnevertheless often andhedoesnothave the www.worldcommercereview.com up until know – without there being any clarity as to which parties would constitute part ofthenewcoalition. would –withoutthere constituteup until know beingany asto part whichparties clarity Whattwo isunusualthat thefirst months elapsedbefore the formation involved any substantive matters and – The formation oftheRutte IIIgovernment took arecord numberof225days. Since theSecond World War the formation ofanewgovernment hastakenmore thanthree months onaverage. purpose. The formation ofanewgovernment cantakealongtime, are becauseincreasingly required more parties for this Three anewgovernment prospect. theelections months isstillafar-off after This isnotunusualintheNetherlands. Towards anew government willbeableto live upto this.whether thisparty possible to say thisnow, JA21isapotentially non-populistoutlet for dissatisfied votersright. onthe Time will tell says at theoutset. agreat have As suchandinsofarasitisalready notprecluded dealthat otherparties thisparty According to somepolls, italready commanded doublethenumberofseats It twotheelections. months after seats. most ofwhomhave come from the andCDA ratherVVD thanFvD andthePVV, to enter theLower Housewiththree able to live oftimeithasmanagedto period upto convince withinabrief thisclaim.Nevertheless, enoughvoters, awaits toIt beseento what extentthisparty, many ofwhosememberswere alsoamemberofFvD until recently, is inclined too much to theleft. home for thosevoters whoare oftheopinionthat theliberal right-wing democratic andtheChristian CDAVVD are This newcomer relies ona ‘conservative, liberal’ explicitly claimsthat itwishesto bodyofthought. provide It a www.worldcommercereview.com 4. ‘TK2021 naardemografische enandere kenmerken’[The4. ‘TK2021 2021 Lower Housebasedondemographic andother than thetraditional parties. together, whereas thatfigure hadshrunk to 310,000in2021. The minor(new)movementsrelativelybetter areperforming amounted to more ithappens, whentaken ofallthe political than780,000members 3. As themembership parties leading candidate, LianedenHaan,on6May2021following aconflict. isnolongerformallyrepresented2. It intheLower House, ofits stilllocally albeit andintheSenate, thedeparture after electoral to threshold 5% (Germany, from varying 2%(Denmark) Poland, Belgium, mostothers). way1. By ofcomparison, mostofthe European representation countries whichhave have asystem an ofproportional Endnotes TeldersFoundation isResearcher Fleur PatrickDr andDr deBeaufort oftheDutch liberal vanisDirector Schie thinktank of addressing themajorissuesfacingcountry, asinthecaseofother Western nations. ■ Voters are beginning to tire ofpoliticianswhohave beenpreoccupied withholdingeachotherto account instead willagainresultseeking, inRutte’s trumpingitscompetitors byVVD alarge margin. stable government withoutthe VVD, whilepollsreveal that whichsomelosersinMarch newelections, may be thereNevertheless, isagoodchance that aRutte IVgovernment willemerge, becauseitisimpossibleto form a that arewhere rival to the parties sought to settlescoresVVD withRutte, whowon theelections. An leakedstatement unfortunate madeby Prime Rutte Minister occasioned extensive debates intheLower House, www.worldcommercereview.com consists of...Wilders. 7. Informalterms there are Wilders, ‘members: two theindividual, andalsoafoundationwhoseexecutive Geert board and Jan-Werner Müller, (Philadelphia, ispopulism? 2016). What numerous6. See publications, eg. Cas MuddeandRovira Kalwasser, Populism: (Oxford, Introduction AVery Short 2017) the HagaGroup andtheFvD shrinkto five seatsinthe leader, Baudetsawhisparty Lower House. Thierry 13May2021FvD5. On again hadto contend withabreakaway, asaresult ofwhichthree of thefive seats will continue as andere-kenmerken/ characteristics], whichwas consulted athttps://maurice.nl/peilingen/2021/04/11/tk2021-naar-demografische-en-