Democrats 66 Democraten 66 | |
---|---|
Abbreviation | D66 |
Leader | Rob Jetten (list) |
Chairperson | Victor Everhardt |
Leader in the Senate | Paul van Meenen |
Leader in the House of Representatives | Rob Jetten |
Leader in the EP | Gerben-Jan Gerbrandy |
Founders | Hans van Mierlo Hans Gruijters |
Founded | 14 October 1966 |
Headquarters | Lange Houtstraat 11, The Hague |
Youth wing | Young Democrats |
Policy institute | Hans van Mierlo Foundation |
Membership (January 2024) | 29,624[1] |
Ideology | |
Political position | Centre |
Regional affiliation | Liberal Group[3] |
European affiliation | Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe |
European Parliament group | Renew Europe |
International affiliation | Liberal International |
Colours | Green White |
Senate | 5 / 75 |
House of Representatives | 9 / 150 |
King's commissioners | 1 / 12 |
Provincial councils | 33 / 570 |
European Parliament | 3 / 31 |
Benelux Parliament | 2 / 21 |
Website | |
d66 | |
Democrats 66 (Dutch: Democraten 66;[a] D66) is a social liberal[4][5] and progressive[6][7] political party in the Netherlands, which is positioned in the centre of the political spectrum.[2][8] It is a member of the Liberal International (LI) and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE).
The name of the party refers to its year of foundation, 1966. Initially, its main objective had been to democratise the Dutch political system, but it developed a broader social liberal ideology over time. In the 1967 general election, the party won 7 out of 150 seats in the House of Representatives. No new party had ever gained that many seats before. The party was in government from 1973 to 1977, 1981 to 1982, 1994 to 2002, 2003 to 2006 and 2017 to 2024. It currently holds nine seats in the House of Representatives, five seats in the Senate and three seats in the European Parliament.
D66 is especially popular among people who hold a university degree, and its voters are mostly concentrated in larger cities and in municipalities with an above-average number of wealthy residents. The party supplies a relatively large proportion of mayors, who are appointed rather than elected.
Currently, the party is led by Rob Jetten, who was elected party leader on 12 August 2023.[9] Paul van Meenen, Rob Jetten and Gerben-Jan Gerbrandy are serving as the party's parliamentary leaders in the Senate, the House of Representatives and the European Parliament respectively.
Finishing second was the left-wing progressive D66 party, which is close ideologically to Volt.
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