The BoerBurgerBeweging (BBB) won the election by a far larger margin than pollsters projected. Although preliminary results are not yet available, the ANP news agency believes that the party received 19.4 percent of the vote.
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| Caroline van der Plas, leader of the BBB Netherlands |
According to preliminary findings, the Netherlands is witnessing a political landslide, just as it did four years ago. While Thierry Baudet's Forum for Democracy emerged as the largest party in the provincial elections in 2019 with 14.9 percent of the vote, the BoerBurgerBeweging (BBB) has left everyone dumbfounded. The benefit for the party that goes completely rural is far higher than pollsters projected.
With around 85 percent of the ballots counted, the party had more than 19% of the vote. As a result, she may expect to win 15 of the Senate's 75 seats.
Profit is just spectacular in the province of Overijssel, the core of the BBB. The party receives more than 30% right away. Almost all conventional parties are being targeted. The CDA is cut in half. Mark Rutte's VVD suffers a severe defeat as well.
Profit was projected in the eastern and northern provinces, but the BBB also performs well in North Holland, which is not typical of farmers elsewhere. She will most likely be the largest group there. Another newcomer, JA21 (a split from Forum), and the pro-European Volt, are doing well there as well. Almost all conventional parties are losing money in this country as well. The Forum for Democracy is no longer in existence. In North Brabant, the BBB will very definitely be the largest party, with over 20% of the vote. 'This is definitely not typical,' said an obviously perplexed Caroline van der Plas, leader of the BBB.
The results caught the ruling parties off guard. The BBB was established in 2019 and focuses mostly on Rutte IV's approach to the nitrogen problem, the energy transition, and housing. The message was that it had to be very different. Many Dutch folks appear to agree. Several people cited the nitrogen policy as the most compelling reason for voting for BBB.
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But, the newcomer to politics appeals to a greater feeling of concern about how The Hague operates. Many, particularly in the countryside, believe that the bubble in The Hague has lost touch with reality. Many Dutch individuals feel that the BBB restores political sanity. Van der Plas speaks the average man's language. She is the only BBB-elected in the House of Representatives, but she has been on the talk shows for the past two years.
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| Seat comparison between 2019 and 2023 provincial election in Netherlands |
The Senate's makeup is determined by the provinces. The administration did not already have a majority (35 out of 75 MPs), and the minority is growing. According to current projections, the four ruling parties will retain 24 seats. Last year, the government needed help from GroenLinks and PvdA to implement its ambitious nitrogen and climate policies. There is a significant possibility that those 'left' seats will no longer be sufficient. It implies the BBB and JA21 have the ability to stymie the green policy. That's a nightmare, particularly with D66.
This outcome also jeopardizes the stability of the entire government. The CDA, in particular, loses a significant number of seats to the BBB. Thus far, the Christian Democrats have been the VVD's most dependable and natural partner. Will it remain that way? If they continue to follow this approach, they risk extinction. Prime Minister Rutte, whose VVD is still clinging on, and CDA leader Wopke Hoekstra did not rule out a cabinet reshuffle during the campaign. It is already divided on a number of topics. Rutte IV was born through a laborious process. The four parties (VVD, CDA, D66, and ChristenUnie) had already grown bored of each other in Rutte III.
The ruling parties can only hope that BBB, like Forum, would rapidly split apart due to squabbles. Yet the likelihood of this occurring is significantly lower. Party work is preferable. She purposefully avoided local elections in order to carefully choose candidates for the provinces.
What is known is that the political environment remains highly fractured, with several parties operating on the periphery. Just PvdA and GroenLinks want to form a political party. They will already constitute a minority in the Senate. Yet, the tight collaboration does not appear to be yielding any additional seats for the time being. The PvdA is increasing somewhat, but GroenLinks is decreasing.