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74-673: The LSP was founded on 16 April 1921 as a merger of the mainstream liberal Liberal Union , the conservative liberal League of Free Liberals , the minor Economic League and the single seat parties of the Neutral Party and the Middle Class Party . They were joined by the General Political Party, who lacked parliamentary representation. These were all the liberal parties in the Netherlands except for

148-683: A constitutional court and judges do not have the authority to review laws on their constitutionality. International treaties and the Statute of the Kingdom, however, overrule Dutch law and the Constitution, and judges are allowed to review laws against these in a particular court case. Furthermore, all legislation that is not a law in the strict sense of the word (such as policy guidelines or laws proposed by provincial or municipal government) can be tested on its constitutionality. Amendments to

222-403: A parliamentary democracy since 1848. Previously, it was a republic from 1581 to 1806, and a kingdom between 1806 and 1810 (it was part of France between 1810 and 1813). Before 1917, the Netherlands had a two-round system with census suffrage (per the Constitution of 1814), in which only property-owning adult males had the right to vote. Under influence of the rising socialist movement

296-460: A centre-left " Roman/Red " coalition of PvdA, KVP, ARP and CHU and a centre-right coalition of VVD, KVP, ARP and CHU. In the 1960s, new parties appeared, which were mostly popular with young voters, who felt less bound to the pillars. The post-war babyboom meant that there had been a demographic shift to lower ages. On top of that, the voting age was lowered, first from 23 to 21 years in 1963 and then to 18 years in 1972. The most successful new party

370-654: A loose alliance with the League of Free Liberals and the Free-thinking Liberal League. The parties cooperated in several cabinets. The liberal legislation to extend suffrage and to better the position of workers was often supported by the Social Democratic Workers' Party . Politics of the Netherlands (terminology)#Gemeenteraad The Netherlands is a parliamentary representative democracy . A constitutional monarchy ,

444-489: A major advance of the SP, which almost tripled in size and became the third largest party with 17% of the seats, while the moderate PvdA lost a quarter of its seats. At the other end of the spectrum, LPF lost all its seats, while the new anti-immigrant Party for Freedom (PVV) went from nothing to 6% of the seats, becoming the fifth largest party. This polarisation made the formation negotiations very difficult. The talks resulted in

518-467: A majority of 61.54%, three days after 57.67% of the French voters had rejected the treaty . In June 2006, D66 withdrew its support for the coalition in the aftermath of the upheaval about the asylum procedure of Ayaan Hirsi Ali instigated by immigration minister Rita Verdonk . As a result, the caretaker third Balkenende cabinet was formed by CDA and VVD. The ensuing November 2006 general election saw

592-444: A majority of the confessional political parties. In the 1891 general election , however, the confessional parties lost their majority and a liberal cabinet led by Gijsbert van Tienhoven was formed. The cabinet's most important proposal is the relaxation of the census , proposed by minister of home affairs Tak van Poortvliet; the law would grant the right to vote to all men able to read and write. All political parties were divided on

666-629: A period of remarkable economic prosperity. Since 2000, the Netherlands has largely supported the European Union and taken marked steps to integrate itself with it and improve its ties with NATO . Globalization , the introduction of the Euro , the enlargement of the European Union , the enlargement of NATO , the aftermath of the Orange Revolution and other factors have contributed to that. The purple coalition lost its majority in

740-793: A temporary agreement for the 2013 budget. What followed in September 2012 was the 2012 general election , in which both the VVD and the PvdA won considerably, gaining 41 and 38 seats respectively. The three parties that lost most were the PVV, sinking from 24 to 15 seats, the CDA, continuing their 2010 loss and winning only 13 seats, and GroenLinks, sinking from 10 to only 4 seats. The SP (15 seats), Christian Union (5 seats) and PvdD (2 seats) were stable, whereas D66 (10 to 12 seats) and SGP (2 to 3 seats) won mildly. Newcomer

814-621: A traditional separation of powers ; according to the Constitution, the States General and the government (the monarch and the ministers) share legislative power . All legislation has to pass through the Council of State ( Dutch : Raad van State ) for advice and the Social and Economic Council advises the government on most socio-economic legislation. Executive power is reserved for the government. The Social and Economic Council also has

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888-523: Is a part-time job as the institution meets once a week. The system of proportional representation, combined with the historical social division between Catholics, Protestants, socialists and liberals, has resulted in a multiparty system. The parties currently represented in the Dutch House of Representatives are: The Council of State is an advisory body of cabinet on constitutional and judicial aspects of legislation and policy. All proposed legislation

962-560: Is composed of representatives of trade unions and employers' organisations , along with government-appointed specialists. It is consulted at an early stage in financial, economic and social policy-making. It advises government and its advice, like the advice of the High Councils of State , cannot easily be set aside. The SER heads a system of PBOs , self-regulating organisations that contribute to making laws for specific economic sectors. The following organisations are represented in

1036-462: Is divided into twelve provinces, which are responsible for spatial planning , health policy and recreation , within the bounds prescribed by the national government. Furthermore, they oversee the policy and finances of municipalities and water boards. Provincial councils are directly elected by inhabitants every four years. Executive authority is exercised by the King's (or Queens's) commissioner and

1110-511: Is sent to the Council of State for advice. Although the advice is not binding, the cabinet is required to respond to the advice and it often plays a significant role in the ensuing debate in Parliament. In addition, the Council is the highest administrative court . The Council is ex officio chaired by the monarch. The probable heir to the throne becomes a member of the Council when reaching legal adulthood. The monarch leaves daily affairs to

1184-570: The 1894 general election , and the Liberal Union was confined to opposition. After the 1897 general election , the liberals regained their majority and a cabinet led Nicolaas Gerard Pierson enacted a series of social laws, including compulsory education for all children between the ages of six and twelve. In 1901, the progressive liberals in the party founded the Free-thinking Democratic League together with

1258-547: The 1994 general election , the CDA lost nearly half its seats, while D66 doubled in size. For the first time in eighty years, a coalition was formed without the Christian democrats. The purple coalition was formed between PvdA, D66 and VVD. The colour purple symbolised the mixing of socialist red with liberal blue. During the purple years, which lasted until 2002, the government introduced legislation on abortion , euthanasia , and gay marriage . The purple coalition also marked

1332-553: The 2002 general election due to the rise of the Pim Fortuyn List (LPF), the new political party led by the flamboyant populist Pim Fortuyn . He campaigned on an anti-immigration programme and spoke of the "Purple Chaos" (Dutch: Puinhopen van Paars ). Fortuyn was shot dead nine days before the elections. The LPF entered the House of Representatives with one-sixth of the seats, while the PvdA lost half its seats. A cabinet

1406-486: The Constitutional Reform of 1848 , liberals became the dominant political force in the Netherlands. They were organised in loose political clubs and caucuses. Liberals were divided between progressive , centrist and conservative liberals, but because of the lack of organised political parties, these divisions were not very strong. In 1879 the division became explicit when a separate parliamentary party

1480-740: The Court of Audit and the National Ombudsman . The Court of Audit investigates whether public funds are collected and spent legitimately and effectively. The National Ombudsman investigates complaints about the functioning and practices of government. As with the advice of the Council of State, the reports from these organisations are not easily put aside and often play a role in public and political debate. The judiciary comprises eleven district courts, four courts of appeal, three administrative courts of appeal ( Central Appeals Tribunal , Trade and Industry Appeals Tribunal and Council of State) and

1554-501: The European Union . The Dutch economy is very open and heavily reliant on international trade. One of the more controversial international issues surrounding the Netherlands is its liberal policy towards soft drugs . Dutch policies on recreational drugs , prostitution , same-sex marriage , abortion and euthanasia are among the most liberal in the world. The Netherlands has been a constitutional monarchy since 1813 and

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1628-585: The House of Orange-Nassau (by chosen and later hereditary stadtholders ) since 1556, when William the Silent was appointed stadtholder and led the successful Dutch Revolt against Spain. The present monarchy was founded in 1813. After the expulsion of the French, the Prince of Orange was proclaimed Sovereign Prince of the Netherlands. The new monarchy was confirmed in 1815 at the Congress of Vienna as part of

1702-546: The National Socialist Movement . Although the party was very small it was part of coalition cabinet two times between 1933 and 1937 in the second and third cabinets of Hendrikus Colijn . In 1939 several individual League-members were involved in the short-lived fifth Colijn cabinet. In 1941, after the Netherlands was invaded in 1940 by the Germans, the party was forbidden. In 1946, after the Netherlands

1776-476: The Radicale Bond . This caused the liberals to lose their majority in the subsequent election . In the 1905 general election , however, a cabinet was formed by the two liberal parties, led by Theodoor Herman de Meester . In the 1909 general election , they lost their majority to the confessional parties again. The 1913 general election resulted in no clear majority; the Social Democratic Workers' Party

1850-696: The Supreme Court . All judicial appointments are made by the Government. Judges are appointed for life until they retire at the age of 70. As part of the Dutch tradition of depoliticised consensus-based decision making, the government often makes use of advisory councils composed of academic specialists or representatives of stakeholders. The most prominent advisory council is the Social and Economic Council ( Dutch : Sociaal Economische Raad , SER), which

1924-485: The Vice-President of the Council of State , currently Thom de Graaf , and the other councillors, who are mainly legal specialists, former ministers, members of parliament and judges or professors of law. The Dutch political system has five so-called High Councils of State , which are explicitly regarded as independent by the Constitution. Apart from the two Houses of Parliament and the Council of State, these are

1998-538: The first Rutte cabinet , a minority government formed by VVD and CDA, supported in parliament by the PVV. In April 2012, the PVV withdrew its support for the Rutte cabinet after failed negotiations about the government budget for 2013. A political crisis followed, in which the parliamentary fractions of the VVD, CDA, D66, GroenLinks and the Christian Union, together disposing of a parliamentary majority, came to

2072-445: The higher classes : businessmen, civil servants, wealthy farmers and voters from the liberal professions (lawyers, doctors, etc.) The party performed particularly well in the major trading cities Amsterdam and Rotterdam , in provincial centres like Arnhem , Zutphen and Leeuwarden , in the rich municipalities around Hilversum and The Hague and in northern rural provinces, like Groningen and Drenthe . The Liberal Union formed

2146-446: The island council , which is elected by direct suffrage. Their activities are similar to but wider than those of municipalities. Furthermore, there are water boards which are responsible for the country's inland waterways, groundwater levels, polders , dikes and other waterworks . These boards are ruled by representatives of companies, farmers and nature conservation organisations and representatives who are elected by citizens in

2220-577: The most highly regarded Prime Ministers of the Netherlands include: The Dutch Parliament, officially known as the States General of the Netherlands, consists of a House of Representatives ( Tweede Kamer ) and a Senate ( Eerste Kamer ). Both chambers are housed in the Binnenhof in The Hague and discuss proposed legislation and review the actions of the cabinet. Only the House of Representatives has

2294-619: The College of the provincial executive . The commissioner is appointed by the national government and is responsible to the Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations . Members of the provincial executive are appointed by, and responsible to the provincial council. Local government in the Netherlands is formed by 342 municipalities (as of 2023). Municipalities are responsible for education , spatial planning and social security , within

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2368-471: The Constitution must be approved by both Houses of the States General ( Dutch : Staten-Generaal ) twice. The first time around, this requires a majority vote. After parliament has been dissolved and a general election has been held, both Houses must approve the proposed amendments again with a two-thirds majority. Major political institutions are the monarchy, the cabinet, the States General and

2442-424: The Dutch welfare state to bring the budget deficit under control and to create jobs. Social benefits were reduced, taxes lowered and businesses deregulated. Gradually the economy recovered and the budget deficit and unemployment were reduced considerably. When the far-left parties lost much electoral support in the 1986 elections, they decided to merge into the new GroenLinks in 1989, with considerable success. In

2516-470: The House and new elections. Members of the Senate are elected indirectly by provincial councilors, again every four years, just after the elections of the provincial councils, via a system of proportional representation . Nowadays, the Senate is mainly considered to be a body of elder statesmen reconsidering legislation at ease, away from the pressure of daily political and media hypes. The position of senator

2590-694: The Liberals merged with the League of Free Liberals, as well as the Economic League , Middle Class Party and the Neutral Party , to form the Liberal State Party , the mainstream liberal party. The Union started out as a moderately progressive liberal party, committed to the freedom of the individual. Gradually it became more conservative . It was in favour of a small government , which nonetheless got its income from progressive taxation and would enact social legislation . The party

2664-434: The Netherlands presides over the cabinet and is the most important political figure of the Dutch government. The national government ( Rijksoverheid or het Rijk ) consists of ministries, the implementing organizations that fall under the responsibility of ministries, inspectorates, and High Councils of State, and is involved in the preparation and implementation of the plans of the government and parliament. Some of

2738-592: The Social and Economic Council, accounting for two thirds of its membership: The remaining third of the members of the council are appointed by the government. These include professors of economics and related fields, as well as representatives of the Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis and De Nederlandsche Bank . In addition, representatives of environmental and consumers' organisations are represented in SER working groups. Other prominent advisory bodies are The Netherlands

2812-596: The VDB, these organisation formed the weak general pillar. Liberal Union (Netherlands) The Liberal Union ( Dutch : Liberale Unie ) was a conservative liberal and progressive liberal political party in the Netherlands . A major party in its time, the Liberals were one of the historic predecessors of the Liberal State Party , and therefore of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy . After

2886-555: The VVD became the biggest party with 31 seats, followed closely by the PvdA with 30 seats. The right-wing PVV went from 9 to 24 seats, while the CDA lost half of their support and was left with 21 seats. The SP lost 10 of its 25 seats, and both D66 and GroenLinks got 10 seats. The Christian Union, the smallest coalition party, lost 1 of its 6 seats. Both the SGP and the PvdD kept their 2 seats. The following cabinet formation eventually resulted in

2960-485: The area. They have the power to tax their residents. The foreign policy of the Netherlands is based on four basic commitments: to Transatlantic relations , European integration , international development and international law . While historically the Netherlands used to be a neutral state, it has joined many international organisations since World War II , most prominently the United Nations , NATO and

3034-485: The bounds prescribed by the national and provincial government. Like provincial councils, municipal councils are directly elected every four years. Municipalities are governed by the municipal executive , consisting of the mayor and a number of aldermen. The mayor is appointed by the national government and responsible to the Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations. The aldermen are appointed by, and responsible to

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3108-487: The conservative liberal VVD and D66 made large electoral gains. The Dutch welfare state had become the most extensive social security system in the world by the early eighties, but it came into crisis when spending rose due to dramatic high unemployment rates and poor economic growth. The early eighties saw unemployment rise to over 11% and the budget deficit rose to 10.7% of the national income. The centre-right and centre-left coalitions of CDA–VVD and CDA–PvdA reformed

3182-412: The country is organised as a decentralised unitary state . The Netherlands can be described as a consociational state . Dutch politics and governance are characterised by a common striving for broad consensus on important issues, within both of the political community and society as a whole. The Dutch Constitution lists the basic civil and social rights of the Dutch citizens and it describes

3256-715: The extremely poor and pensions for the elderly. It defended public education . Internationally it favoured international (mutual) disarmament and the gradual implementation of autonomy for the Dutch Indies . The LSP mainly received support from agnostics or latitudinarian protestants (such as Remonstrants , moderate orthodox or freethinking members of the Dutch Reformed Church and Mennonites ) from higher classes: businessmen , civil servants , wealthy farmers, and voters with free professions (lawyers, doctors etc.). The party performed particularly well in

3330-527: The formation of the social-Christian fourth Balkenende cabinet supported by CDA, PvdA, and the Christian Union . This cabinet was oriented at solidarity, durability, and "norms and values". In February 2010, the PvdA withdrew its support for the fourth Balkenende cabinet. The PvdA disagreed with prolonging the Dutch military involvement in Afghanistan . In the following 2010 general election ,

3404-448: The fourth strongest party there. The centre-right second Balkenende cabinet was formed by the CDA, the VVD, and the D66. Against popular sentiment, the right-wing coalition initiated a programme of welfare state reforms, healthcare privatisation, and stricter immigration policies . On 1 June 2005, the Dutch electorate voted in a referendum against the proposed European Constitution by

3478-487: The general broadcasting association AVRO (Algemene Verenigde Radio Omroep, General United Radio Broadcasting Organisation), the general union ANWV (Algemene Nederlandse Werkelieden Vereniging, the General Dutch Workers' Association), furthermore the neutral employers' organisation VNO and the financial newspaper Het Handelsblad had good relations with the League. Together with the other liberal party,

3552-497: The judicial system. There are three other High Colleges of State, which stand on an equal footing with parliament but have a less political role, of which the Council of State is the most important. Other levels of government are the municipalities, the water boards and the provinces. Although not mentioned in the Constitution, political parties and the social partners organised in the Social and Economic Council are important political institutions as well. The Netherlands does not have

3626-482: The lijsttrekker is the party's top candidate in the general election, these posts are normally taken by the party's leader. The party's leader can also be in cabinet. The party was particularly strong in urban municipal and provincial governments . The party supplied several mayors of larger cities, such as Pieter Droogleever Fortuyn in Rotterdam In the following figure one can see the election results of

3700-457: The major trading cities Amsterdam and Rotterdam , the rich municipalities around Hilversum and The Hague and in northern rural provinces, like Groningen and Drenthe . This table shows the LSP's results in elections to the House of Representatives , Senate and States-Provincial , as well as the party's political leadership: the fractievoorzitter, is the chair of the parliamentary party and

3774-431: The member can decide to stay in the chamber, either as an independent representative, or as a member of another parliamentary party. If a member decides to resign, the empty seat falls to the original party collecting the votes, and is offered to the highest placed candidate on the party's electoral list who was not elected. Coalition governments may fall before their term expires, which usually results in early dissolution of

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3848-412: The monarch also played a central role in the formation of a cabinet after a general election or a cabinet crisis. The monarch used to appoint the informateur , who chairs the formation talks, after consulting the parliamentary leaders of all parties represented in the lower house of the States General. Because this advice was a matter of public record, the monarch could not easily take a direction that

3922-574: The monarch and the ministers. The monarch only plays a role in the appointment of ministers, and is not involved in decision-making. The ministers collectively form the Council of Ministers . This executive council meets every Friday in the Trêveszaal at the Binnenhof , and initiates laws and policy. While most of the ministers head government ministries, since 1939 it has been permissible to appoint ministers without portfolio . The Prime Minister of

3996-425: The monarch is head of state and has a role in the legislative process, as he has to co-sign every law to make it valid. The monarch is also ex officio chair of the Council of State , which advises the cabinet on every piece of legislation and is the final court for administrative law . Although King Willem-Alexander takes these functions seriously, he refrains from exerting his power in these positions. Until 2012,

4070-527: The municipal council. The major cities of Amsterdam and Rotterdam are subdivided into administrative areas ( stadsdelen ), which have their own (limited) responsibilities. Local government on the Caribbean Netherlands is formed by three public bodies sometimes called "special municipalities" which are not part of a province. They are governed by a Lieutenant-general ( Dutch : gezaghebber ) and "eilandgedeputeerden" which are responsible to

4144-482: The name Liberal State Party, "the Freedom League" (Liberale Staatspartij, "de Vrijheidsbond"), after 1937 it adopted the name Liberal State Party ("Liberale Staatspartij"). The LSP was a conservative liberal party. Personal freedom was their most important principle. It therefore defended a small state and was in favour of free trade . Government should however be involved in providing social security for

4218-730: The political parties. There were four pillars, which provided the five most important parties, the socialist Labour Party (PvdA), the conservative liberal People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), the Catholic People's Party (KVP) and the two conservative Protestant parties, the Christian Historical Union (CHU) and the Anti-Revolutionary Party (ARP). Since no party ever won an absolute majority, these political parties had to work together in coalition governments. These alternated between

4292-712: The position and function of the institutions that have executive, legislative and judiciary power. The constitution applies to the Netherlands, one of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands . The Netherlands comprises all of the European territory, as well as the Caribbean islands of Bonaire , Sint Eustatius and Saba . The Kingdom as a whole (the Netherlands along with Aruba , Curaçao and Sint Maarten ) has its own Statute , describing its federate political system. The Netherlands does not have

4366-409: The progressive-liberal Free-thinking Democratic League (VDB). The merger was forced by the constitutional revision of 1918 implementing universal suffrage and proportional representation . The two biggest parties (the Liberal Union and the League of Free Liberals) had lost a considerable number of seats with the implementation of universal suffrage, while the other three parties had profited from

4440-419: The provincial election of 1931 per province. It shows the areas where the LSP is strong, namely South Holland and too a lesser extent Gelderland and North Holland. The party is very weak in rural and Catholic Limburg and Brabant. The LSP lacked a real system of pillarised organisations around it. 'Neutral' organisations, which were not linked to a pillar, often had friendly relations with the LSP. This included

4514-525: The re-arrangement of Europe after the fall of Napoleon . The House of Orange-Nassau was given the present-day Netherlands and Belgium to govern as the United Kingdom of the Netherlands . Between 1815 and 1890, the King of the Netherlands was also Grand Duke of Luxembourg . The current monarch is Willem-Alexander , while the heir apparent is Catharina-Amalia, Princess of Orange . Constitutionally,

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4588-486: The requirements were gradually reduced until in 1917 the present party-list proportional representation voting system with universal manhood suffrage was instituted, expanded in 1919 to include women. Until 1966, Dutch politics was characterised by pillarisation . Society was separated into several segments (pillars) which lived separately from each other and there was only contact at the top levels, in government. These pillars had their own organisations, most importantly

4662-446: The right to propose or amend legislation while the Senate discusses its value regarding the Dutch law since the Netherlands has no constitutional court. Currently there are 150 members of the House of Representatives and 75 Senators. Members of the House are elected directly every four years using party-list proportional representation . Representatives are chosen on personal title, so when a member no longer agrees with his or her party,

4736-453: The special right to make and enforce legislation in specific sectors, mostly in agriculture. The judicial power is divided into two separate systems of courts. For civil and criminal law the independent Supreme Court is the highest court, while for administrative law the Council of State is the highest court, which is ex officio chaired by the monarch. The Netherlands has been a monarchy since 1813, but has been governed by members of

4810-513: The subject and with a very narrow majority the proposal was rejected. In reaction to this the cabinet resigned and a new election was held. In this election the division between pro-suffrage "Takkians" and anti-suffrage "anti-Takkians" grew. The Liberal Union was also split on the subject. A group of conservative liberals left the party, remaining a loose political club until the foundation of the League of Free Liberals in 1906. The anti-Takkians won

4884-407: The system of proportional representation. During its entire existence the LSP lost seats, the party started with ten seats in 1922 and was left with only four in 1937. Unlike other social groups, the liberals did not build up a structure of pillarised organisations around it: therefore liberal voters were relatively independent from the League and were easily attracted by new political parties, like

4958-478: The trade unions and for unemployment benefit arrangements made by employers. In exchange for subsidizing the unemployment insurance system, the government insisted on defining the eligibility criteria for unemployment benefit payments (InfoNU, 2011).” The cabinet also enacted universal suffrage and ended the school struggle . After the disastrous 1918 general election , the liberals lost almost half of their seats; they fell from thirty-seven to twenty seats. In 1921

5032-433: Was asked to join the liberals in a coalition government, but they refused. An extra-parliamentary cabinet was formed by Pieter Cort van der Linden , formed by liberals from all three liberal parties. This cabinet presided over the introduction of the 1917 Unemployment Act, which regulated the involvement of government in social security, with the government giving subsidies “for the voluntary unemployment insurance schemes of

5106-475: Was contrary to the advice of a majority in parliament. On the other hand, what was actually talked about behind the closed doors of the palace was not known. Upon the conclusion of formation talks, the monarch appoints the cabinet. Upon the fall of a government, the Prime Minister has to request the monarch to dismiss the cabinet. The government of the Netherlands ( regering ) constitutionally consists of

5180-501: Was fiscally conservative. Furthermore, the party was in favour of the universal suffrage and proportional representation. Chairman of the parliamentary party Prime Ministers Development of the number of seats in the Lower House, of the 100 available. Before 1918 elected in single member districts, after that by proportional representation: Liberal received support from atheist and Latitudinarian Protestant voters from

5254-487: Was formed by CDA, VVD, and LPF, led by Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende . It proved short-lived: after only 87 days in power, the coalition fell apart as a result of consecutive conflicts within the LPF and between LPF ministers. In the ensuing January 2003 general election , the LPF dropped to only five percent of the seats in the House of Representatives. The left-wing Socialist Party (SP) led by Jan Marijnissen became

5328-435: Was formed by supporters of Jan Kappeyne van de Coppello . With the rise of both Catholic and Protestant parties, the liberals were forced to organise themselves better. In 1885, all the liberal political clubs and caucuses were united in the Liberal Union. The Union was factionalised: it had a progressive, a conservative and a centrist faction. In the 1888 general election , the liberals were forced into opposition by

5402-541: Was liberated, the Liberal State Party was reformed to the Freedom Party , which in 1948 became the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD). In 1963 a group of VVD members tried to rekindle the "Freedom League" flame, but they were unable to gain seats in the elections and dissolved. The party was official founded as the "Freedom League" ("Vrijheidsbond"), during the 1920s the party adopted

5476-486: Was the progressive liberal Democrats 66 (D66), which proposed democratisation to break down pillarisation. Pillarisation declined, with the three Christian democratic parties losing almost half of their votes. In 1977 they merged into the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA), which became a major force in Dutch politics, participating in governments uninterruptedly from 1977 until 1994. Meanwhile,

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