Dutch general election, 2002
Encyclopedia
The General Election to the House of Representatives of the States-General of the Netherlands
was held in the Netherlands on May 15, 2002.
The election was arguably the most dramatic in Dutch history, not just in terms of the electoral results. It was completely overshadowed by the assassination
of politician Pim Fortuyn
only nine days before election day. Fortuyn's party made a huge leap from nothing to 17% of the seats, making it the second largest party. Fortuyn had especially attacked immigration policies and also questioned many aspects of government by the previous 'purple' cabinets (Paars
) of Wim Kok
, which he blamed for everything from crime to waiting lists in health services.
, People's Party for Freedom and Democracy
and Democrats 66
, the coalition
parties
of the 'purple' cabinets. Especially the Labour Party under the technocratic leadership of Ad Melkert
suffered a landslide defeat.
The Christian Democratic Appeal
was the surprising winner of the election, gaining 14 seats (from 29 to 43) and becoming the largest party in the House of Representatives. This success is in part owed to its new leader Jan Peter Balkenende
, who went on to become prime minister
, and to its neutral attitude in the debate with Fortuyn, not having participated in the supposed ‘demonization’ by the political Left
.
Another party making its debut in the House of Representatives was Livable Netherlands
.
The 15 May 2002 election was the beginning of a year of political chaos
in the Netherlands following the LPF leader's assassination on 6 May the same year. The power vacuum resulted in violent internal conflicts in LPF, which eventually led to the fall of the first Balkenende cabinet
(CDA-LPF-VVD), which governed from 22 July 2002 to 16 October 2002. The CDA once again became a coalition party after eight years in opposition (1994-2002) in a government which, however, became the shortest-ruling Dutch cabinet since the Second World War, lasting less than five months.
Only parties that won seats in parliament are shown in the above table.
States-General of the Netherlands
The States-General of the Netherlands is the bicameral legislature of the Netherlands, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The parliament meets in at the Binnenhof in The Hague. The archaic Dutch word "staten" originally related to the feudal classes in which medieval...
was held in the Netherlands on May 15, 2002.
The election was arguably the most dramatic in Dutch history, not just in terms of the electoral results. It was completely overshadowed by the assassination
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
of politician Pim Fortuyn
Pim Fortuyn
Wilhelmus Simon Petrus Fortuijn, known as Pim Fortuyn was a Dutch politician, civil servant, sociologist, author and professor who formed his own party, Pim Fortuyn List ....
only nine days before election day. Fortuyn's party made a huge leap from nothing to 17% of the seats, making it the second largest party. Fortuyn had especially attacked immigration policies and also questioned many aspects of government by the previous 'purple' cabinets (Paars
Purple (government)
Purple is a common term in politics for governments or other political entities consisting of parties that have red and blue as their political colours...
) of Wim Kok
Wim Kok
Willem "Wim" Kok ; born September 29, 1938) is a retired Dutch politician of the Labour Party . He served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands from August 22, 1994 until July 22, 2002....
, which he blamed for everything from crime to waiting lists in health services.
Result
The great losers of the election were Labour PartyLabour Party (Netherlands)
The Labour Party , is a social-democratic political party in the Netherlands. Since the 2003 Dutch General Election, the PvdA has been the second largest political party in the Netherlands. The PvdA was a coalition member in the fourth Balkenende cabinet following 22 February 2007...
, People's Party for Freedom and Democracy
People's Party for Freedom and Democracy
The People's Party for Freedom and Democracy is a conservative-liberal political party located in the Netherlands. The VVD supports private enterprise in the Netherlands and is often perceived as an economic liberal party in contrast to the social-liberal Democrats 66 alongside which it sits in...
and Democrats 66
Democrats 66
Democrats 66 is a progressive and social-liberal political party in the Netherlands. D66 was formed in 1966 by a group of politically unaligned, young intellectuals, led by journalist Hans van Mierlo. The party's main objective was to democratise the political system; it proposed to create an...
, the coalition
Coalition
A coalition is a pact or treaty among individuals or groups, during which they cooperate in joint action, each in their own self-interest, joining forces together for a common cause. This alliance may be temporary or a matter of convenience. A coalition thus differs from a more formal covenant...
parties
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
of the 'purple' cabinets. Especially the Labour Party under the technocratic leadership of Ad Melkert
Ad Melkert
Adrianus Petrus Wilhelmus "Ad" Melkert is a Dutch politician of the Labour Party . He served as chair of the parliamentary party and Minister of Social Affairs and Employment for the social-democratic PvdA. He led the PvdA to a historic low in the contentious 2002 general elections, which were won...
suffered a landslide defeat.
The Christian Democratic Appeal
Christian Democratic Appeal
The Christian Democratic Appeal is a centre-right Dutch Christian democratic political party. It suffered severe losses in the 2010 elections and fell from the first to the fourth place...
was the surprising winner of the election, gaining 14 seats (from 29 to 43) and becoming the largest party in the House of Representatives. This success is in part owed to its new leader Jan Peter Balkenende
Jan Peter Balkenende
Jan Pieter "Jan Peter" Balkenende is a Dutch politician of the party Christian Democratic Appeal .He was the Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 22 July 2002 until 14 October 2010, having led four coalition governments, cabinets Balkenende I, II, III and IV, none of which served a full...
, who went on to become prime minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
, and to its neutral attitude in the debate with Fortuyn, not having participated in the supposed ‘demonization’ by the political Left
Left-wing politics
In politics, Left, left-wing and leftist generally refer to support for social change to create a more egalitarian society...
.
Another party making its debut in the House of Representatives was Livable Netherlands
Livable Netherlands
Livable Netherlands was a Dutch political party. Pim Fortuyn began his political career in the party.-Party history:Historically there have always been parties in States-Provincial and Gemeenteraad that were independent from the national party system...
.
The 15 May 2002 election was the beginning of a year of political chaos
Civil disorder
Civil disorder, also known as civil unrest or civil strife, is a broad term that is typically used by law enforcement to describe one or more forms of disturbance caused by a group of people. Civil disturbance is typically a symptom of, and a form of protest against, major socio-political problems;...
in the Netherlands following the LPF leader's assassination on 6 May the same year. The power vacuum resulted in violent internal conflicts in LPF, which eventually led to the fall of the first Balkenende cabinet
First Balkenende cabinet
The first cabinet of Jan Peter Balkenende was in office in the Netherlands from 22 July 2002 until 16 October of the same year. The term of 87 days was the shortest since the fifth cabinet of Hendrikus Colijn .Following the 15 May 2002...
(CDA-LPF-VVD), which governed from 22 July 2002 to 16 October 2002. The CDA once again became a coalition party after eight years in opposition (1994-2002) in a government which, however, became the shortest-ruling Dutch cabinet since the Second World War, lasting less than five months.
National summary
Turnout: 79.1%| Party | Lijsttrekker Lijsttrekker Lijsttrekker is a Dutch term for the top candidate of a party on a party list. He or she is almost always the party's political leader. After an election, this person usually leads the party's faction in the States-General, or serves in a senior position in the Cabinet if his party is part of... |
Votes | % | Seats | difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christian Democratic Appeal Christian Democratic Appeal The Christian Democratic Appeal is a centre-right Dutch Christian democratic political party. It suffered severe losses in the 2010 elections and fell from the first to the fourth place... |
Jan Peter Balkenende Jan Peter Balkenende Jan Pieter "Jan Peter" Balkenende is a Dutch politician of the party Christian Democratic Appeal .He was the Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 22 July 2002 until 14 October 2010, having led four coalition governments, cabinets Balkenende I, II, III and IV, none of which served a full... |
2,653,723 | 27.9 | 43 | + 14 |
| Pim Fortuyn List | Pim Fortuyn Pim Fortuyn Wilhelmus Simon Petrus Fortuijn, known as Pim Fortuyn was a Dutch politician, civil servant, sociologist, author and professor who formed his own party, Pim Fortuyn List .... |
1,614,801 | 17.0 | 26 | + 26 |
| People's Party for Freedom and Democracy People's Party for Freedom and Democracy The People's Party for Freedom and Democracy is a conservative-liberal political party located in the Netherlands. The VVD supports private enterprise in the Netherlands and is often perceived as an economic liberal party in contrast to the social-liberal Democrats 66 alongside which it sits in... |
Hans Dijkstal Hans Dijkstal Henri Frans "Hans" Dijkstal was a Dutch politician of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy . He served as Minister of the Interior and Deputy Prime Minister from 22 August 1994 until 3 August 1998... |
1,466,722 | 15.4 | 24 | - 14 |
| Labour Party Labour Party (Netherlands) The Labour Party , is a social-democratic political party in the Netherlands. Since the 2003 Dutch General Election, the PvdA has been the second largest political party in the Netherlands. The PvdA was a coalition member in the fourth Balkenende cabinet following 22 February 2007... |
Ad Melkert Ad Melkert Adrianus Petrus Wilhelmus "Ad" Melkert is a Dutch politician of the Labour Party . He served as chair of the parliamentary party and Minister of Social Affairs and Employment for the social-democratic PvdA. He led the PvdA to a historic low in the contentious 2002 general elections, which were won... |
1,436,023 | 15.1 | 23 | - 22 |
| GreenLeft GreenLeft GreenLeft is a green political party operating in the Netherlands.GreenLeft was formed on 1 March 1989 as a merger of four left-wing political parties: the Communist Party of the Netherlands, Pacifist Socialist Party, the Political Party of Radicals and the Evangelical People's Party... |
Paul Rosenmöller Paul Rosenmöller Paul Rosenmöller is a Dutch television presenter and former politician and trade unionist. Between 1989 and 2003, he was member of the Dutch House of Representatives for GroenLinks .-Biography:... |
660,692 | 7.0 | 10 | - 1 |
| Socialist Party Socialist Party (Netherlands) The Socialist Party is a democratic socialist political party in the Netherlands. After the 2006 general election, the Socialist Party became one of the major parties of the Netherlands with 25 seats of 150, an increase of 16 seats. The party was in opposition against the fourth Balkenende cabinet... |
Jan Marijnissen Jan Marijnissen Johannes Guillaume Christianus Andreas Marijnissen is a Dutch politician of the Socialist Party . He served as Parliamentary leader in House of Representatives May 5, 1994 until June 20, 2008... |
560,447 | 5.9 | 9 | + 4 |
| Democrats 66 Democrats 66 Democrats 66 is a progressive and social-liberal political party in the Netherlands. D66 was formed in 1966 by a group of politically unaligned, young intellectuals, led by journalist Hans van Mierlo. The party's main objective was to democratise the political system; it proposed to create an... |
Thom de Graaf Thom de Graaf Thomas Carolus de Graaf is a Dutch jurist and politician. He is a member of social liberal party Democrats 66 . Since January 2007 he has been mayor of the city of Nijmegen and since 7 June 2011 also a member of the Senate... |
484,317 | 5.1 | 7 | - 7 |
| ChristianUnion ChristianUnion The ChristianUnion , abbreviated to CU, is a Dutch Christian democratic political party. A centrist party, the CU's policies combine social conservatism and soft euroscepticism with more centre-left positions on economic, immigration, and environmental issues.Founded in 2000 as a merger of the... |
Kars Veling Kars Veling Kars Veling is rector of the Johan de Witt College in The Hague and former politician for the GPV and Christen Unie in the Dutch parliament.-Education:Veling followed the HBS-B education in Groningen, the town where he was born... |
240,953 | 2.5 | 4 | - 1 |
| Reformed Political Party Reformed Political Party The Reformed Political Party is an orthodox Protestant Dutch political party. The term Reformed is not a reference to political reform, but is a synonym for Calvinist. The SGP is the oldest political party in the Netherlands in its current form, and for its entire existence has been in opposition... |
Bas van der Vlies Bas van der Vlies Bastiaan Johannis van der Vlies is a former Dutch politician of the Reformed Political Party . He was a member of the House of Representatives of the Netherlands from June 10, 1981 until June 17, 2010. However, this does not make him the longest serving MP, Duymaer van Twist served for almost 45... |
163,562 | 1.7 | 2 | - 1 |
| Livable Netherlands Livable Netherlands Livable Netherlands was a Dutch political party. Pim Fortuyn began his political career in the party.-Party history:Historically there have always been parties in States-Provincial and Gemeenteraad that were independent from the national party system... |
Fred Teeven Fred Teeven Fredrik "Fred" Teeven is a Dutch politician of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy . He is the State Secretary for Security and Justice in the Cabinet Rutte since October 14, 2010.... |
153,055 | 1.6 | 2 | + 2 |
| Total | 9,501,152 | 100.0 | 150 |
Only parties that won seats in parliament are shown in the above table.
Parties
- Christian Democratic Appeal (Christen-Democratisch Appèl)
- Christian Union (ChristenUnie), merger of Reformatorian Political Federation and Reformed Political Alliance
- Democrats 66 (Democraten 66)
- Green Left (GroenLinks)
- Labour Party (Partij van de Arbeid)
- Pim Fortuyn List (Lijst Pim Fortuyn)
- Livable Netherlands (Leefbaar Nederland)
- People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (Volkspartij voor Vrijheid en Democratie)
- Political Reformed Party (Staatkundig Gereformeerde Partij)
- Socialist Party (Socialistische Partij)
External resources
- NSD: European Election Database - Netherlands publishes regional level election data (NUTS 1-3); allows for comparisons of election results, 1994-2010