Democrats 66 (; abbreviated D66, ) is a
social liberal political party in the Netherlands
This article lists political parties in the Netherlands, which has a multi-party system with numerous political parties, in which any one party has little chance of gaining power alone, and parties often work with each other to form coalition go ...
, which positions itself in the
centre
Center or centre may refer to:
Mathematics
*Center (geometry), the middle of an object
* Center (algebra), used in various contexts
** Center (group theory)
** Center (ring theory)
* Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricity ...
of the
political spectrum
A political spectrum is a system to characterize and classify different political positions in relation to one another. These positions sit upon one or more geometric axes that represent independent political dimensions. The expressions politi ...
.
It is a member of the
Liberal International
Liberal International (LI) is a worldwide organization of liberal political parties - a political international. It was founded in Oxford in 1947 and has become the pre-eminent network for liberal parties, aiming to strengthen liberalism around ...
(LI) and the
Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe
The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE; french: Alliance des Démocrates et des Libéraux pour l'Europe, ADLE) is a transnational alliance between two European political parties, the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Euro ...
(ALDE).
The name of the party refers to its year of foundation,
1966
Events January
* January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko.
* January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...
. 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
House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...
. 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 2021. It currently holds 24 seats in the House of Representatives, 7 seats in the
Senate
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
and 2 seats in the
European Parliament
The European Parliament (EP) is one of the legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it adopts ...
.
D66 is especially popular among people who hold a
university degree
An academic degree is a qualification awarded to students upon successful completion of a course of study in higher education, usually at a college or university. These institutions commonly offer degrees at various levels, usually including unde ...
, 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
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities ...
, who are appointed rather than elected.
Currently, the party is led by
Sigrid Kaag
Sigrid Agnes Maria Kaag (; born 2 November 1961) is a Dutch diplomat and politician, serving as List of Ministers of Finance of the Netherlands, Minister of Finance and Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands, First Deputy Prime Minister in the ...
, who was elected
party leader
In a governmental system, a party leader acts as the official representative of their political party, either to a legislature or to the electorate. Depending on the country, the individual colloquially referred to as the "leader" of a political ...
on 4 September 2020.
Annelien Bredenoord,
Jan Paternotte and
Sophie in 't Veld
Sophia Helena "Sophie" in 't Veld (born 13 September 1963) is a Dutch politician of the Democrats 66 party. She was elected as a Member of the European Parliament in 2004, and reelected in 2009, 2014 and 2019. She was her party's top candidate fo ...
are serving as the party's
parliamentary leader
A parliamentary leader is a political title or a descriptive term used in various countries to designate the person leading a parliamentary group or caucus in a legislative body, whether it be a national or sub-national legislature. They are the ...
s in the Senate, the House of Representatives and the European Parliament respectively.
Name and logo
At its foundation, the party was called Democrats '66 (, abbreviated D'66). The name referred to the party's goal of radical democratisation and to the year of foundation, which was supposed to convey a modern image. In 1981, the
apostrophe
The apostrophe ( or ) is a punctuation mark, and sometimes a diacritical mark, in languages that use the Latin alphabet and some other alphabets. In English, the apostrophe is used for two basic purposes:
* The marking of the omission of one o ...
was dropped: the name had become a successful political brand, but the year no longer conveyed a modern image.
History
1966–1986: Early years
Democrats 66 was founded on 14 October 1966 by a group of 44 people. Its founders were described as ''
homines novi'', although 25 of the 44 had previously been members of another political party. The initiators were
Hans van Mierlo
Henricus Antonius Franciscus Maria Oliva "Hans" van Mierlo (; 18 August 1931 – 11 March 2010) was a Dutch politician and journalist who co-founded Democrats 66 (D66).
Van Mierlo studied Law at the Radboud University Nijmegen obtaining a Mas ...
, a journalist for the ''
Algemeen Handelsblad
''NRC'', previously called ''NRC Handelsblad'' (), is a daily morning newspaper published in the Netherlands by NRC Media. It is generally accepted as a newspaper of record in the Netherlands.
History
''NRC Handelsblad'' was first published on 1 ...
'', and
Hans Gruijters
Johannes Petrus Adrianus "Hans" Gruijters (; 30 June 1931 – 17 April 2005) was a Dutch politician and co-founder of the Democrats 66 (D66) party and journalist.
Biography
Hans Gruijters studied psychology and political and social sciences a ...
, a
municipal councillor in Amsterdam. Van Mierlo became the party's political leader. The foundation of the party was preceded by the "Appeal 1966" on October 10, in which the founders appealed to the people of the Netherlands to re-take their democratic institutions. The party renounced the 19th-century political ideologies, which dominated the political system and sought to end
pillarisation
Pillarisation (from the nl, verzuiling) is the politico-denominational segregation of a society into groups by religion and associated political beliefs. These societies were (and in some areas, still are) vertically divided into two or more gr ...
. It called for radical democratisation of the Dutch political system, and for
pragmatic
Pragmatism is a philosophical movement.
Pragmatism or pragmatic may also refer to:
*Pragmaticism, Charles Sanders Peirce's post-1905 branch of philosophy
*Pragmatics, a subfield of linguistics and semiotics
*''Pragmatics'', an academic journal in ...
and
scientific
Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe.
Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence for ...
policy-making.
![H](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9a/H.A.F.M.O._van_Mierlo%2C_minister_van_Defensie.jpg)
The party participated in the
1967 general election, with Hans van Mierlo as its ''
lijsttrekker
In politics, a lead candidate (; , ) is the leader of a political party in an election to a legislative body. In parliamentary systems, it is often the party's nominee for the position of head of government. In open list electoral systems, it is t ...
'' (top candidate). The party won an unprecedented seven seats in the
House of Representatives
House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...
. In the
1971 general election, the party won an additional four seats and it formed a
shadow cabinet with the
Labour Party (PvdA) and the
Political Party of Radicals
The Political Party of Radicals ( nl, Politieke Partij Radikalen, PPR) was a progressive Christian and green political party in the Netherlands. The PPR played a relatively small role in Dutch politics and merged with other left-wing parties to fo ...
(PPR). In the
1972 general election, the three parties formed a
political alliance
A political group is a group consisting of political parties or legislators of aligned ideologies. A technical group is similar to a political group, but with members of differing ideologies.
International terms
Equivalent terms are used differ ...
called the "Progressive Agreement" (; PAK) and presented the common electoral program "Turning Point '72" (''Keerpunt '72'').
In the election, D66 lost nearly half its seats, leaving only six. The alliance became the largest political force in the country, but it did not gain a majority. After long cabinet formation talks, the three PAK-parties formed an
extra-parliamentary cabinet
The cabinet of the Netherlands ( nl, Nederlands kabinet) is the main executive body of the Netherlands. The current cabinet of the Netherlands is the Fourth Rutte cabinet, which has been in power since 10 January 2022. It is headed by Prime Minis ...
joined by
progressive
Progressive may refer to:
Politics
* Progressivism, a political philosophy in support of social reform
** Progressivism in the United States, the political philosophy in the American context
* Progressive realism, an American foreign policy par ...
members of the
Anti-Revolutionary Party
The Anti-Revolutionary Party ( nl, Anti-Revolutionaire Partij, ARP) was a Protestant conservative and Christian democratic political party in the Netherlands. The party was founded in 1879 by Abraham Kuyper, a neo-Calvinist theologian and m ...
(ARP) and the
Catholic People's Party
The Catholic People's Party ( nl, Katholieke Volkspartij, KVP) was a Catholic Christian democratic political party in the Netherlands. The party was founded in 1945 as a continuation of the Roman Catholic State Party, which was a continuation of ...
(KVP). The cabinet was led by Labour politician
Joop den Uyl
Johannes Marten den Uijl, better known as Joop den Uyl (; 9 August 1919 – 24 December 1987) was a Dutch politician and economist who served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 1973 to 1977. He was a member of the Labour Party (PvdA).
...
. Co-founder Hans Gruijters became Minister of Housing and Spatial Planning. After the formation talks, Van Mierlo left politics, feeling that his political position within the parliamentary party was untenable. Van Mierlo was replaced by
Jan Terlouw
Jan Cornelis Terlouw (born 15 November 1931) is a retired Dutch politician, physicist and author. A member of the Democrats 66 (D66) party, he served as Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 1981 to 1982 under Prime Minister Dries van A ...
, who became the new
parliamentary leader
A parliamentary leader is a political title or a descriptive term used in various countries to designate the person leading a parliamentary group or caucus in a legislative body, whether it be a national or sub-national legislature. They are the ...
.
![Jan Terlouw 1981 (1)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ed/Jan_Terlouw_1981_%281%29.jpg)
In the period 1972–1974, the party lost a dramatic number of members (from 6,000 to 300) and polled very poorly in the
1974 provincial elections. The party also lost half of its senators in the
1974 Senate election. At one of the party congresses, a
motion
In physics, motion is the phenomenon in which an object changes its position with respect to time. Motion is mathematically described in terms of displacement, distance, velocity, acceleration, speed and frame of reference to an observer and mea ...
was put forth to abolish the party. A majority of the members voted in favour, but the two-thirds majority was not reached. In reaction, Terlouw started a campaign to revitalise the party, involving a membership drive and a
petition
A petition is a request to do something, most commonly addressed to a government official or public entity. Petitions to a deity are a form of prayer called supplication.
In the colloquial sense, a petition is a document addressed to some offici ...
to the electorate. He emphasised issues other than democratic reform and gave the party a more
liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* a supporter of liberalism
** Liberalism by country
* an adherent of a Liberal Party
* Liberalism (international relations)
* Sexually liberal feminism
* Social liberalism
Arts, entertainment and m ...
orientation. The party doubled its membership in 1975 and won two additional seats in the
1977 general election, despite losing all its seats in the
Senate
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
in the same year.
In the
1981 general election, D66 gained 17 seats. The party formed a government with the Labour Party and the
Christian Democratic Appeal
The Christian Democratic Appeal ( nl, Christen-Democratisch Appèl, ; CDA) is a Christian-democratic political party in the Netherlands. It was originally formed in 1977 from a confederation of the Catholic People's Party, the Anti-Revolutionary ...
(CDA), with Terlouw as
Minister of Economic Affairs. The cabinet was characterised by the personal and ideological conflicts between Prime Minister
Dries van Agt
Andreas Antonius Maria "Dries" van Agt (; born 2 February 1931) is a Dutch politician and diplomat of the defunct Catholic People's Party (KVP) and later the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) party and jurist who served as Prime Minister of t ...
(CDA) and
Minister of Social Affairs Joop den Uyl (PvdA). The cabinet fell nine months after it was formed, when the Labour Party left the cabinet. D66 and the CDA continued to govern in a
caretaker government
A caretaker government is a temporary ''ad hoc'' government that performs some governmental duties and functions in a country until a regular government is elected or formed. Depending on specific practice, it usually consists of either randomly se ...
. In the subsequent
1982 general election, D66 lost two-thirds of its support, and was left with only 6 seats. After the election, Terlouw left politics and was replaced by
Maarten Engwirda
Maarten Boudewijn Engwirda (born 2 June 1943) is a retired Dutch politician of the Democrats 66 (D66) party.
Decorations
References
External links
1943 births
Living people
Commanders of the Order of Orange-Nassau
Dem ...
. The party was confined to
opposition
Opposition may refer to:
Arts and media
* ''Opposition'' (Altars EP), 2011 EP by Christian metalcore band Altars
* The Opposition (band), a London post-punk band
* ''The Opposition with Jordan Klepper'', a late-night television series on Comed ...
.
1986–2006: Purple cabinets and demise
In 1986, Van Mierlo returned to politics. He emphasised democratic reform as the core issue of the party and wanted to end the polarisation between the Labour Party and the
People's Party for Freedom and Democracy
The People's Party for Freedom and Democracy ( nl, Volkspartij voor Vrijheid en Democratie ; VVD) is a conservative-liberal Andeweg, R. and G. Irwin ''Politics and Governance in the Netherlands'', Basingstoke (Palgrave) p.49 political party in ...
(VVD), so that it would be possible to form a government without the CDA. He led the party in the
1986 general election and won 9 seats. In the
1989 election, the party won 12 seats and was asked to join the formation talks of a CDA–PvdA–D66 coalition. While the PvdA preferred to form a government ''with'' D66, the CDA did not. Ultimately, D66 was excluded from the coalition, because it was not necessary to include them to reach a majority in parliament.
Despite being in opposition, D66 adopted a constructive approach towards the government. They were rewarded for this in the
1994 general election, in which the party doubled its number of seats to 24. D66 was able to form its preferred coalition: the "
purple government", which included both the
social democratic
Social democracy is a political, social, and economic philosophy within socialism that supports political and economic democracy. As a policy regime, it is described by academics as advocating economic and social interventions to promote soci ...
PvdA and the
conservative liberal
Conservative liberalism or right-liberalism is a variant of liberalism, combining liberal values and policies with Conservatism, conservative stances, or simply representing the right-wing of the liberal movement.Michael Gallagher (academic), M ...
VVD. Van Mierlo was appointed
Minister of Foreign Affairs
A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between cou ...
. As advocated by D66, the
first Kok cabinet
First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1).
First or 1st may also refer to:
*World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement
Arts and media Music
* 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...
initiated progressive legislation, such as the introduction of
same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same Legal sex and gender, sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being ...
and the legalisation of
euthanasia
Euthanasia (from el, εὐθανασία 'good death': εὖ, ''eu'' 'well, good' + θάνατος, ''thanatos'' 'death') is the practice of intentionally ending life to eliminate pain and suffering.
Different countries have different eut ...
. The moderately
liberal economic
Economic liberalism is a political and economic ideology that supports a market economy based on individualism and private property in the means of production. Adam Smith is considered one of the primary initial writers on economic liberalis ...
policies of the cabinet were also seen as a great success.
![Els Borst februari 2002](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cd/Els_Borst_februari_2002.jpg)
Shortly before the
1998 general election, Van Mierlo stepped back and Minister of Health
Els Borst
Else "Els" Borst-Eilers (; 22 March 1932 – 8 February 2014) was a Dutch politician of the Democrats 66 (D66) party and physician. She was granted the honorary title of Minister of State on 21 December 2012.
Borst worked as a medical researcher ...
became the new top candidate. D66 lost ten seats in the election, while its coalition partners gained ground at the cost of D66. The
second Kok cabinet
The second Kok cabinet, also called the second Purple cabinet was the executive branch of the Dutch government from 3 August 1998 until 22 July 2002. The cabinet was a continuation of the previous first Kok cabinet and was formed by the social-d ...
continued. Although D66 was technically not needed for a majority in parliament, it was seen as the glue that kept the PvdA and the VVD together. Borst stepped down as party leader and became
Deputy Prime Minister
A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to that of a vice president, ...
and Minister of Health.
Thom de Graaf
Thomas Carolus "Thom" de Graaf (;''Thomas'' in isolation: . born 11 June 1957) is a Dutch politician of the Democrats 66 (D66) party and jurist. He is the Vice-President of the Council of State since 1 November 2018.
De Graaf attended the Ci ...
led the party in the House of Representatives. From within the party, there were calls for a more explicit progressive liberal course. In 1999, a constitutional reform that would allow for
referendum
A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...
s to be held was rejected by the Senate, because a group of VVD dissidents had voted against it. In response, D66 left the cabinet. After the subsequent formation talks, D66 returned to the cabinet in return for a temporary referendum law and directly elected mayors.
In the
2002 general election, the tide had turned against the purple government, and the right-wing populist
Pim Fortuyn List
The Pim Fortuyn List ( nl, Lijst Pim Fortuyn, LPF) was a political party in the Netherlands named after its eponymous founder Pim Fortuyn, a former university professor and political columnist. The party was considered populist, right-wing popul ...
(LPF) gained considerable ground. The three purple parties lost an unprecedented 43 seats. D66 was left with only 7 seats. The
first Balkenende cabinet
The first Balkenende cabinet was the executive branch of the Netherlands government from 22 July 2002 until 27 May 2003. The cabinet was formed by the Christian-democratic Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA), the nationalistic Pim Fortuyn List (L ...
, consisting of CDA, LPF and VVD, lasted only three months. In the
2003 general election, D66 lost another seat, leaving only 6. De Graaf stepped down and was succeeded by
Boris Dittrich
Boris Ottokar Dittrich (; born 21 July 1955) is a Dutch politician of the Democrats 66 (D66) party, jurist, author and human rights activist. He is a Member of the Senate since 11 June 2019.
Dittrich's father came to the Netherlands as a polit ...
. After long formation talks between the CDA and the PvdA failed, a
second Balkenende cabinet
The second Balkenende cabinet was the executive branch of the Government of the Netherlands from 27 May 2003 until 7 July 2006. The cabinet was formed by the Christian-democratic Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA), the conservative-liberal Peop ...
was formed, which included the CDA, the VVD and D66.
In return for investments in environment and education, and a special Minister for Governmental Reform, D66 supported the
centre-right
Centre-right politics lean to the Right-wing politics, right of the Left–right politics, political spectrum, but are closer to the Centrism, centre. From the 1780s to the 1880s, there was a shift in the Western world of social class structure a ...
reform cabinet and some of its more controversial legislation. In May 2005, the Senate rejected a constitutional reform that would allow a directly elected mayor. The legislation had been introduced by the
second Kok cabinet
The second Kok cabinet, also called the second Purple cabinet was the executive branch of the Dutch government from 3 August 1998 until 22 July 2002. The cabinet was a continuation of the previous first Kok cabinet and was formed by the social-d ...
, but it was unable to get a two-thirds majority because the Labour Party was opposed the electoral system proposed by Minister for Governmental Reform Thom de Graaf. De Graaf resigned, but the rest of the ministers retained their positions as D66 was promised more investment in public education and the environment. A special party congress was called to ratify this so-called "Easter Agreement" (''Paasakkoord''). 2,600 members (20 percent of total membership) were present and the congress was broadcast live on television. The congress agreed to remain in cabinet by a large majority.
Alexander Pechtold
Alexander Pechtold (born 16 December 1965) is a retired Dutch politician and art historian. He is a member of Democrats 66.
Pechtold studied Archaeology and Dutch Golden Age painting, History of Dutch Art at the Leiden University obtaining a Ma ...
replaced De Graaf as Minister for Governmental Reform.
Laurens Jan Brinkhorst
Laurens Jan Brinkhorst (born 18 March 1937) is a retired Dutch politician and diplomat of the Democrats 66 (D66) party and jurist.
Early life and education
Laurens-Jan Brinkhorst was born in the city of Zwolle. His parents were Marius Jacobus B ...
, the Minister of Economic Affairs, became
Deputy Prime Minister
A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to that of a vice president, ...
.
2006–2016: Pechtold leadership
In February 2006, Dittrich stepped down as parliamentary leader, because he did not agree with the government's decision to send the Dutch armed forces to the southern province of
Uruzgan
Uruzgan (Dari), also spelled as Urozgan or Oruzgan, is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. Uruzgan is located in the center of the country. The population is 436,079, and the province is mostly a tribal society. Tarinkot serves as th ...
in
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
. D66 voted against the government's proposal together with the
Socialist Party
Socialist Party is the name of many different political parties around the world. All of these parties claim to uphold some form of socialism, though they may have very different interpretations of what "socialism" means. Statistically, most of th ...
and
GroenLinks
GroenLinks (, ) is a green political party in the Netherlands.
It was formed on 1 March 1989 from the merger of four left-wing parties: the Communist Party of the Netherlands, the Pacifist Socialist Party, the Political Party of Radicals and t ...
. Dittrich stated that the mission to send troops was not a reconstruction mission (as the government and the majority of the Dutch parliament claimed), but a military operation.
Lousewies van der Laan
Louse Wies Sija Anne Lilly Berthe "Lousewies" van der Laan (born 18 February 1966) is a retired Netherlands, Dutch politician of the Democrats 66 (D66) party and jurist.
Life before politics
In her youth, Van der Laan lived in Belgium, Germany, ...
replaced Dittrich. In May 2006, D66 polled particularly badly in the
2006 municipal elections. D66 began to lose a considerable number of members, some of whom founded
deZES, another radical democratic, progressive liberal party. During a special party congress on 13 May 2006, a motion was put forth demanding the withdrawal of D66 from the cabinet, but it was rejected. In June 2006, an
internal election was held in order to choose the new party leader. The election was won by
Alexander Pechtold
Alexander Pechtold (born 16 December 1965) is a retired Dutch politician and art historian. He is a member of Democrats 66.
Pechtold studied Archaeology and Dutch Golden Age painting, History of Dutch Art at the Leiden University obtaining a Ma ...
.
During the special parliamentary debate on the
naturalisation process of
Ayaan Hirsi Ali
Ayaan Hirsi Ali (; ; Somali: ''Ayaan Xirsi Cali'':'' Ayān Ḥirsī 'Alī;'' born Ayaan Hirsi Magan, ar, أيان حرسي علي / ALA-LC: ''Ayān Ḥirsī 'Alī'' 13 November 1969) is a Somali-born Dutch-American activist and former politicia ...
, D66 supported a
motion of no confidence
A motion of no confidence, also variously called a vote of no confidence, no-confidence motion, motion of confidence, or vote of confidence, is a statement or vote about whether a person in a position of responsibility like in government or mana ...
against Minister for Integration
Rita Verdonk
Maria Cornelia Frederika "Rita" Verdonk (born 18 October 1955) is a retired Dutch politician of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) and later founder of the Proud of the Netherlands (Trots) party and businesswoman.
Verdonk atten ...
. As D66 was a junior coalition partner, this caused a crisis in the
second Balkenende cabinet
The second Balkenende cabinet was the executive branch of the Government of the Netherlands from 27 May 2003 until 7 July 2006. The cabinet was formed by the Christian-democratic Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA), the conservative-liberal Peop ...
. The cabinet refused to remove Verdonk from her position. Lousewies van der Laan, parliamentary leader of D66, felt that the D66 faction could no longer support the cabinet and stated that the cabinet had to resign. On 3 July 2006, the two D66 ministers
Alexander Pechtold
Alexander Pechtold (born 16 December 1965) is a retired Dutch politician and art historian. He is a member of Democrats 66.
Pechtold studied Archaeology and Dutch Golden Age painting, History of Dutch Art at the Leiden University obtaining a Ma ...
and
Laurens Jan Brinkhorst
Laurens Jan Brinkhorst (born 18 March 1937) is a retired Dutch politician and diplomat of the Democrats 66 (D66) party and jurist.
Early life and education
Laurens-Jan Brinkhorst was born in the city of Zwolle. His parents were Marius Jacobus B ...
resigned, causing the
second Balkenende cabinet
The second Balkenende cabinet was the executive branch of the Government of the Netherlands from 27 May 2003 until 7 July 2006. The cabinet was formed by the Christian-democratic Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA), the conservative-liberal Peop ...
to fall.
In October 2006, just before the D66 party congress and its 40th anniversary as a party, D66 founder
Hans van Mierlo
Henricus Antonius Franciscus Maria Oliva "Hans" van Mierlo (; 18 August 1931 – 11 March 2010) was a Dutch politician and journalist who co-founded Democrats 66 (D66).
Van Mierlo studied Law at the Radboud University Nijmegen obtaining a Mas ...
asked the question whether D66 still had political legitimacy. He believed that many errors were made in recent history and that only the acceptance of these errors could provide for any credibility for D66. Van Mierlo declared his support for party leader Pechtold, who in his view could provide for such credibility.
![Portretfoto Sigrid Kaag 2018 01 (crop)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f9/Portretfoto_Sigrid_Kaag_2018_01_%28crop%29.jpg)
Since 2008, the party has performed quite well in the
opinion poll
An opinion poll, often simply referred to as a survey or a poll (although strictly a poll is an actual election) is a human research survey of public opinion from a particular sample. Opinion polls are usually designed to represent the opinions ...
s, ranging from 10 to 26 seats, compared to only 3 seats in the House of Representatives. In the
2009 European Parliament election
The 2009 European Parliament election was held in the 27 member states of the European Union (EU) between 4 and 7 June 2009. A total of 736 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) were elected to represent some 500 million Europeans, making th ...
, the party won 11% of the votes and 3 seats, two more than in the previous election. The news programme
Nova
A nova (plural novae or novas) is a transient astronomical event that causes the sudden appearance of a bright, apparently "new" star (hence the name "nova", which is Latin for "new") that slowly fades over weeks or months. Causes of the dramati ...
attributed this increase to the leadership of Alexander Pechtold, who was considered "the leader of the opposition" at the time. Under the leadership of Pechtold, the party has taken strong stances against the
Party for Freedom
The Party for Freedom ( nl, Partij voor de Vrijheid, PVV) is a nationalist, right-wing populist political party in the Netherlands.
Founded in 2006 as the successor to Geert Wilders' one-man faction in the House of Representatives, it won nine ...
(PVV) of
Geert Wilders
Geert Wilders (; born 6 September 1963) is a Dutch politician who has led the Party for Freedom (''Partij voor de Vrijheid'' – PVV) since he founded it in 2006. He is also the party's leader in the House of Representatives (''Tweede Kamer'' ...
.
[ Hugo Logtenberg]
"Alexander Pechtold: Ik heb meer dan ooit criticasters nodig"
on ''intermediair.nl'' (2 April 2008) In the
2010 general election, D66 increased its representation to 10 seats. In the
2012 general election, the party further increased its number of seats to 12. Since 2008, the party has experienced a significant increase in party membership, from 10,000 to 25,000 in 2015.
In the
2017 general election
This national electoral calendar for 2017 lists the national/federal elections held in 2017 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included.
January
*5 November ...
, D66 won 19 seats in the House of Representatives and formed a centre-right
coalition government
A coalition government is a form of government in which political parties cooperate to form a government. The usual reason for such an arrangement is that no single party has achieved an absolute majority after an election, an atypical outcome in ...
with the VVD, CDA and
Christian Union (CU).
Kajsa Ollongren
Jkvr. Karin Hildur "Kajsa" Ollongren (; ; born 28 May 1967) is a Dutch politician serving as the Netherlands' Minister of Defence since 10 January 2022. A member of the Democrats 66 (D66), she previously served as Minister of the Interior and ...
was appointed second Deputy Prime Minister in the
third Rutte cabinet
The third Rutte cabinet was the cabinet of the Netherlands from 26 October 2017 until 10 January 2022 (since 15 January 2021 demissionary). It was formed by a coalition government of the political parties People's Party for Freedom and Democracy ...
.
2018–present: Kaag leadership
In October 2018, Alexander Pechtold announced his retirement from politics. He was replaced by
Rob Jetten
Rob Arnoldus Adrianus Jetten (; born 25 March 1987) is a Dutch politician of Democrats 66 (D66). He served as the party's parliamentary leader in the House of Representatives.
Early life and education
Jetten grew up in Uden, Noord-Brabant and ...
as parliamentary leader, but the position of party leader remained vacant. In September 2020, Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation
Sigrid Kaag
Sigrid Agnes Maria Kaag (; born 2 November 1961) is a Dutch diplomat and politician, serving as List of Ministers of Finance of the Netherlands, Minister of Finance and Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands, First Deputy Prime Minister in the ...
was elected the new party leader and top candidate for the
2021 general election.
Despite the fact that the opinion polls had predicted D66 to lose seats, the party won 24 seats in the 2021 election, becoming the second largest party in the House of Representatives.
Ideology
The ideology of D66 is a highly contested subject within the party and the question is tied to the reason for its existence. There are two currents within the party, namely the radical democrats and the progressive liberals. Although sometimes antagonistic, these two currents currently complement each other as both emphasise the self-realisation of the individual. The
Radical League
The Radical League ( nl, Radicale Bond) was a progressive liberal political party in the Netherlands from its founding in 1892 until it merged with the left wing of the Liberal Union to form the Free-thinking Democratic League in 1901.
History
...
and the
Free-thinking Democratic League
The Free-thinking Democratic League ( nl, Vrijzinnig Democratische Bond, VDB) was a progressive liberal political party in the Netherlands. Established in 1901, it played a relatively large role in Dutch politics, supplying one Prime Minister, Wi ...
, two early 20th century parties are historic exponents of these two traditions.
Factions
Radical democrats
The first party congress emphasised radical democratisation of Dutch society and the political system. Its ideal was a
two-party system
A two-party system is a political party system in which two major political parties consistently dominate the political landscape. At any point in time, one of the two parties typically holds a majority in the legislature and is usually referre ...
. To obtain this, it wanted to
reform the electoral system after the American
first past the post
In a first-past-the-post electoral system (FPTP or FPP), formally called single-member plurality voting (SMP) when used in single-member districts or informally choose-one voting in contrast to ranked voting, or score voting, voters cast their ...
model. The electoral reform was gradually moderated as the party now favours German-style
mixed member proportional representation
Mixed-member proportional representation (MMP or MMPR) is a mixed electoral system in which votes cast are considered in local elections and also to determine overall party vote tallies, which are used to allocate additional members to produce ...
. In this system, a national party-list election is used to make a first-past-the-post election representative to the nationwide vote. This radical democratisation was combined with a pragmatic and anti-dogmatic attitude towards politics.
Hans van Mierlo
Henricus Antonius Franciscus Maria Oliva "Hans" van Mierlo (; 18 August 1931 – 11 March 2010) was a Dutch politician and journalist who co-founded Democrats 66 (D66).
Van Mierlo studied Law at the Radboud University Nijmegen obtaining a Mas ...
, the party's leader between 1966 and 1972 and between 1986 and 1998 and the party's figurehead, was an important exponent of this tendency within the party.
Progressive liberals
D66's progressive liberal section has historically been much weaker than its radical democratic wing. Under
Jan Terlouw
Jan Cornelis Terlouw (born 15 November 1931) is a retired Dutch politician, physicist and author. A member of the Democrats 66 (D66) party, he served as Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 1981 to 1982 under Prime Minister Dries van A ...
between 1972 and 1982, D66 began to emphasise new issues like the
environment
Environment most often refers to:
__NOTOC__
* Natural environment, all living and non-living things occurring naturally
* Biophysical environment, the physical and biological factors along with their chemical interactions that affect an organism or ...
,
public education
State schools (in England, Wales, Australia and New Zealand) or public schools (Scottish English and North American English) are generally primary or secondary schools that educate all students without charge. They are funded in whole or in pa ...
and
innovation
Innovation is the practical implementation of ideas that result in the introduction of new goods or services or improvement in offering goods or services. ISO TC 279 in the standard ISO 56000:2020 defines innovation as "a new or changed entity ...
. He called D66 a fourth current, next to
social democracy
Social democracy is a Political philosophy, political, Social philosophy, social, and economic philosophy within socialism that supports Democracy, political and economic democracy. As a policy regime, it is described by academics as advocati ...
,
Christian democracy
Christian democracy (sometimes named Centrist democracy) is a political ideology that emerged in 19th-century Europe under the influence of Catholic social teaching and neo-Calvinism.
It was conceived as a combination of modern democratic ...
and the
conservative liberalism
Conservative liberalism or right-liberalism is a variant of liberalism, combining liberal values and policies with conservative stances, or simply representing the right-wing of the liberal movement. M. Gallagher, M. Laver and P. Mair, ''Repre ...
of the
VVD
The People's Party for Freedom and Democracy ( nl, Volkspartij voor Vrijheid en Democratie ; VVD) is a Conservative liberalism, conservative-liberalRudy Andeweg, Andeweg, R. and G. Irwin ''Politics and Governance in the Netherlands'', Basingsto ...
. In 1998, the group Opschudding called for a
progressive liberal course for the party. In the party's manifesto adopted in 2000, the party explicitly adopted a
progressive liberal image. National political reasons explain the usage of the label "
social-liberal
Social liberalism (german: Sozialliberalismus, es, socioliberalismo, nl, Sociaalliberalisme), also known as new liberalism in the United Kingdom, modern liberalism, or simply liberalism in the contemporary United States, left-liberalism ...
" since the more
right-leaning VVD
The People's Party for Freedom and Democracy ( nl, Volkspartij voor Vrijheid en Democratie ; VVD) is a Conservative liberalism, conservative-liberalRudy Andeweg, Andeweg, R. and G. Irwin ''Politics and Governance in the Netherlands'', Basingsto ...
describes itself as the liberal party.
Positions
Some of the party's most important positions include:
* D66 is in favour of a
mixed economy
A mixed economy is variously defined as an economic system blending elements of a market economy with elements of a planned economy, markets with state interventionism, or private enterprise with public enterprise. Common to all mixed economi ...
combining market economics and government intervention. D66 is also a proponent of increased
flexibility in the labour market and
tax cut
A tax cut represents a decrease in the amount of money taken from taxpayers to go towards government revenue. Tax cuts decrease the revenue of the government and increase the disposable income of taxpayers. Tax cuts usually refer to reductions in ...
s for the lower and middle classes.
* D66 proposes to increase government spending on
education
Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Va ...
and
innovation
Innovation is the practical implementation of ideas that result in the introduction of new goods or services or improvement in offering goods or services. ISO TC 279 in the standard ISO 56000:2020 defines innovation as "a new or changed entity ...
, for instance increases in teachers' salaries. D66 wants the education sector to be deregulated and introduce more competition in the sector.
* The
environment
Environment most often refers to:
__NOTOC__
* Natural environment, all living and non-living things occurring naturally
* Biophysical environment, the physical and biological factors along with their chemical interactions that affect an organism or ...
is an important issue for the party. D66 favours a
carbon price
Carbon pricing (or pricing), also known as cap and trade (CAT) or emissions trading scheme (ETS), is a method for nations to reduce global warming. The cost is applied to greenhouse gas emissions in order to encourage polluters to reduce the co ...
and more investment in
sustainable energy
Energy is sustainable if it "meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs". Most definitions of sustainable energy include considerations of environmental aspects such as greenh ...
to combat
global warming
In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...
, but opposes the
right to hunt
Hunting is the human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/hide (skin), hide, ...
and sees
hunting
Hunting is the human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/hide (skin), hide, ...
only as last resort for wildlife damage control.
* D66 is a
socially liberal
Cultural liberalism is a social philosophy which expresses the social dimension of liberalism and advocates the freedom of individuals to choose whether to conform to cultural norms. In the words of Henry David Thoreau, it is often expressed a ...
party. The
first Kok cabinet
First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1).
First or 1st may also refer to:
*World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement
Arts and media Music
* 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...
in which it participated introduced several liberal reforms in the past, such as the legalisation of
euthanasia
Euthanasia (from el, εὐθανασία 'good death': εὖ, ''eu'' 'well, good' + θάνατος, ''thanatos'' 'death') is the practice of intentionally ending life to eliminate pain and suffering.
Different countries have different eut ...
,
same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same Legal sex and gender, sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being ...
and
prostitution
Prostitution is the business or practice of engaging in Sex work, sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, n ...
.
* D66 is a proponent of democratic reform. It favours electoral reforms such as a binding
referendum
A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...
, abolition of the
Senate
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
and direct election of
prime ministers
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
and
mayors
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities ...
.
* D66 favours a
Federal Europe
The United States of Europe (USE), the European State, the European Federation and Federal Europe, is the hypothetical scenario of the European integration leading to formation of a sovereign superstate (similar to the United States of America ...
and more European cooperation on issues such as the environment, immigration policy and foreign policy.
Electorate
Although supporters of political parties are no longer fixed and election results fluctuate, D66 is overall strong and concentrated in the
Randstad conurbation, while also getting its votes in and around university towns. In the
2014 municipal elections, D66 became the largest party in many major cities including
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...
,
The Hague
The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital of ...
,
Utrecht
Utrecht ( , , ) is the List of cities in the Netherlands by province, fourth-largest city and a List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality of the Netherlands, capital and most populous city of the Provinces of the Netherlands, pro ...
,
Tilburg
Tilburg () is a city and municipality in the Netherlands, in the southern province of North Brabant. With a population of 222,601 (1 July 2021), it is the second-largest city or municipality in North Brabant after Eindhoven and the seventh-larg ...
,
Groningen
Groningen (; gos, Grunn or ) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen province in the Netherlands. The ''capital of the north'', Groningen is the largest place as well as the economic and cultural centre of the northern part of t ...
,
Enschede
Enschede (; known as in the local Twents dialect) is a municipality and city in the eastern Netherlands in the province of Overijssel and in the Twente region. The eastern parts of the urban area reaches the border of the German city of Gronau ...
,
Apeldoorn
Apeldoorn (; Dutch Low Saxon: ) is a municipality and city in the province of Gelderland in the centre of the Netherlands. It is located about 60 km east of Utrecht, 60 km west of Enschede, 25 km north of Arnhem and 35 km south of Zwolle. The ...
,
Haarlem
Haarlem (; predecessor of ''Harlem'' in English) is a city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of North Holland. Haarlem is situated at the northern edge of the Randstad, one of the most populated metropoli ...
,
Amersfoort
Amersfoort () is a city and municipality in the province of Utrecht, Netherlands, about 20 km from the city of Utrecht and 40 km south east of Amsterdam. As of 1 December 2021, the municipality had a population of 158,531, making it the second- ...
and
Arnhem
Arnhem ( or ; german: Arnheim; South Guelderish: ''Èrnem'') is a city and municipality situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands about 55 km south east of Utrecht. It is the capital of the province of Gelderland, located on both banks of ...
.
Electoral results
House of Representatives
Senate
European Parliament
Representation
Members of the
Fourth Rutte cabinet
The Fourth Rutte cabinet is the current Government of the Netherlands. It was inaugurated on 10 January 2022. The cabinet is a continuation of the previous third Rutte cabinet and is formed by the conservative-liberal People's Party for Freedo ...
Members of the States General
Members of the House of Representatives
Current members of the
House of Representatives
House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...
since the
2021 general election:
*
Jan Paternotte,
parliamentary leader
A parliamentary leader is a political title or a descriptive term used in various countries to designate the person leading a parliamentary group or caucus in a legislative body, whether it be a national or sub-national legislature. They are the ...
*
Salima Belhaj
*
Vera Bergkamp
Vera Alida Bergkamp (; born 1 June 1971) is a Dutch politician. A member of the Democrats 66 (D66) party, she has been a member of the House of Representatives since 20 September 2012. On 7 April 2021, she was elected Speaker of the House of ...
*
Marijke van Beukering
*
Raoul Boucke
*
Faissal Boulakjar
*
Hind Dekker-Abdulaziz
*
Lisa van Ginneken
*
Tjeerd de Groot Tjeerd is a masculine given name of West Frisian origin that is common in the Netherlands. Like Tjaard, the name is derived from Germanic ''Thiadward'' ("strong among/protector of the people").Kiki Hagen
Kiki Babette Hagen (; born 6 January 1987) is a Dutch politician of the Democrats 66 (D66) and an elementary school teacher. She has been a member of the House of Representatives since the 2021 general election. She previously served as an alde ...
*
Alexander Hammelburg
*
Romke de Jong
*
Hülya Kat
*
Jeanet van der Laan
*
Paul van Meenen
Paul Hendrik van Meenen (born 29 January 1956 in The Hague) is a Dutch politician of the Democrats 66 (D66) political party. He became a member of the Dutch House of Representatives (''Tweede Kamer'') on 20 September 2012, after having been ele ...
*
Wieke Paulusma
*
Anne-Marijke Podt
*
Rens Raemakers
*
Sjoerd Sjoerdsma
*
Joost Sneller
*
Sjoerd Warmerdam Sjoerd () is a Dutch masculine given name of West Frisian origin. It is derived via Sieuwerd from the Germanic ''Sigiward'' ("victory warden"). Sjoerd gained some popularity as a baby name between 1975 and 2005. The spelling Sjoert is far less comm ...
*
Hanneke van der Werf
*
Steven van Weyenberg
Steven Peter Robert Albert van Weyenberg (; born 21 March 1973) is a Belgian-born Dutch politician, who served as List of Ministers of Infrastructure of the Netherlands, State Secretary for Infrastructure and Water Management in the (Demission ...
*
Jorien Wuite
Jorien Wuite (; born 6 December 1964) is a Sint Maarten-Dutch civil servant, diplomat, and politician. Born in The Hague, she moved to Sint Maarten aged 32 to work in government. She rose to the position of Minister of Education, Culture, Youth ...
Members of the Senate
Current members of the
Senate
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
since the
2019 Senate election:
*
Annelien Bredenoord,
parliamentary leader
A parliamentary leader is a political title or a descriptive term used in various countries to designate the person leading a parliamentary group or caucus in a legislative body, whether it be a national or sub-national legislature. They are the ...
*
Joris Backer Joris, a Dutch language, Dutch form of the given name George (given name), George, may refer to:
*Joris Bado (born 1991), Burkinabé basketball player
*Joris Bert (born 1987), French baseball player
*Joris Borghouts (born 1939), Dutch Egyptologist
...
*
Petra Stienen
*
Boris Dittrich
Boris Ottokar Dittrich (; born 21 July 1955) is a Dutch politician of the Democrats 66 (D66) party, jurist, author and human rights activist. He is a Member of the Senate since 11 June 2019.
Dittrich's father came to the Netherlands as a polit ...
*
Henk Pijlman
*
Carla Moonen
Carla is the feminized version of Carl, Carlos or Charles, from ''ceorl'' in Old English, which means "free man". Notable people with the name include:
* Carla, French singer and former member of the children's music group Kids United
* Carla Ab ...
*
Peter van der Voort
Petrus Henricus Johannes "Peter" van der Voort (born 29 September 1964) is a Dutch physician, professor, and politician serving as a member of the Senate since 2020. He is a member of the social-liberal party Democrats 66 (D66).
He was trained a ...
Representation in EU institutions
Members of the European Parliament
The D66 delegation is part of the
Renew Europe
Renew Europe (Renew) is a liberal, pro-European political group of the European Parliament founded for the ninth European Parliament term. The group is the successor to the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) group which exist ...
group in the European Parliament. Prior to the
first European elections in 1979, D66's appointed
MEPs were part of the
Socialist Group
The Socialists, Democrats and Greens Group (french: Groupe Socialiste, SOC) is a primarily social-democratic political grouping in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. It was known as the Socialist Group prior to August 2017.
The g ...
, before switching to
Non-Inscrits
Non-Inscrits (; abbreviated NI; also non-attached members, abbreviated NA) are Members of the European Parliament (MEP) who do not belong to one of the recognised political groups.
These MEPs may be members of a national party, or of a Europe ...
from 1979 to 1984,
and the
LDR/ELDR/ALDE group since 1989.
Current members of the
European Parliament
The European Parliament (EP) is one of the legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it adopts ...
since the
2019 European Parliament election
The 2019 European Parliament election was held between 23 and 26 May 2019, the ninth parliamentary election since the first direct elections in 1979. A total of 751 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) represent more than 512 million peopl ...
:
*
Sophie in 't Veld
Sophia Helena "Sophie" in 't Veld (born 13 September 1963) is a Dutch politician of the Democrats 66 party. She was elected as a Member of the European Parliament in 2004, and reelected in 2009, 2014 and 2019. She was her party's top candidate fo ...
, delegation leader
*
Samira Rafaela
Members of the Committee of the Regions
In the
European Committee of the Regions
The European Committee of the Regions (CoR) is the European Union's (EU) assembly of local and regional representatives that provides sub-national authorities (i.e. regions, counties, provinces, municipalities and cities) with a direct voice w ...
, the Democrats 66 party sits in the
Renew Europe CoR group, with two full and two alternate members for the 2020–2025 mandate:
*
Michiel Rijsberman
Michiel is a Dutch masculine given name equivalent to Michael and a Venetian surname.
Given name
*Michiel Andrieszoon (died 1684), Dutch pirate
*Michiel Bartman (born 1967), Dutch rower
* Michiel Borstlap (born 1966), Dutch pianist and compose ...
, second vice-president of the Renew Europe group and coordinator of the Commission for Territorial Cohesion Policy (COTER).
*
Ilse Zaal
Ilse is a common female name, technically a German diminutive of Elisabeth, functioning as a given name in its own right chiefly in Austria, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland and all of the Scandinavian countries including Finland. ...
*
Robert van Asten (alternate)
*
Robert Strijk (alternate)
King's commissioners
Provincial councillors
Since the
2019 provincial elections, D66 has 41 representatives in the
provincial councils
A province is a geographic region within Gaelic games, consisting of several County (Gaelic games), counties of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) and originally based on the historic four provinces of Ireland as they were set in 1610.
Provin ...
:
Organisation
The highest organ of the D66 is the General Assembly, in which every member can participate. It convenes multiple times per year. It appoints the party board and has the last say over the party program. The
party list
An electoral list is a grouping of candidates for election, usually found in proportional or mixed electoral systems, but also in some plurality electoral systems. An electoral list can be registered by a political party (a party list) or can ...
, including the party's
parliamentary leader
A parliamentary leader is a political title or a descriptive term used in various countries to designate the person leading a parliamentary group or caucus in a legislative body, whether it be a national or sub-national legislature. They are the ...
, for the Senate, House of Representatives, European Parliament candidates are elected directly by the members. The party has between 250 and 300 branches all over the Netherlands.
Leadership
Party leaders
*
Hans van Mierlo
Henricus Antonius Franciscus Maria Oliva "Hans" van Mierlo (; 18 August 1931 – 11 March 2010) was a Dutch politician and journalist who co-founded Democrats 66 (D66).
Van Mierlo studied Law at the Radboud University Nijmegen obtaining a Mas ...
(14 September 1966 – 1 September 1973)
*
Jan Terlouw
Jan Cornelis Terlouw (born 15 November 1931) is a retired Dutch politician, physicist and author. A member of the Democrats 66 (D66) party, he served as Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 1981 to 1982 under Prime Minister Dries van A ...
(1 September 1973 – 8 September 1982)
*
Laurens Jan Brinkhorst
Laurens Jan Brinkhorst (born 18 March 1937) is a retired Dutch politician and diplomat of the Democrats 66 (D66) party and jurist.
Early life and education
Laurens-Jan Brinkhorst was born in the city of Zwolle. His parents were Marius Jacobus B ...
(8 September 1982 – 10 November 1982)
*
Maarten Engwirda
Maarten Boudewijn Engwirda (born 2 June 1943) is a retired Dutch politician of the Democrats 66 (D66) party.
Decorations
References
External links
1943 births
Living people
Commanders of the Order of Orange-Nassau
Dem ...
(10 November 1982 – 25 January 1986)
*
Hans van Mierlo
Henricus Antonius Franciscus Maria Oliva "Hans" van Mierlo (; 18 August 1931 – 11 March 2010) was a Dutch politician and journalist who co-founded Democrats 66 (D66).
Van Mierlo studied Law at the Radboud University Nijmegen obtaining a Mas ...
(25 January 1986 – 15 February 1998)
*
Els Borst
Else "Els" Borst-Eilers (; 22 March 1932 – 8 February 2014) was a Dutch politician of the Democrats 66 (D66) party and physician. She was granted the honorary title of Minister of State on 21 December 2012.
Borst worked as a medical researcher ...
(15 February 1998 – 30 May 1998)
*
Thom de Graaf
Thomas Carolus "Thom" de Graaf (;''Thomas'' in isolation: . born 11 June 1957) is a Dutch politician of the Democrats 66 (D66) party and jurist. He is the Vice-President of the Council of State since 1 November 2018.
De Graaf attended the Ci ...
(30 May 1998 – 22 January 2003)
*
Boris Dittrich
Boris Ottokar Dittrich (; born 21 July 1955) is a Dutch politician of the Democrats 66 (D66) party, jurist, author and human rights activist. He is a Member of the Senate since 11 June 2019.
Dittrich's father came to the Netherlands as a polit ...
(22 January 2003 – 3 February 2006)
*
Alexander Pechtold
Alexander Pechtold (born 16 December 1965) is a retired Dutch politician and art historian. He is a member of Democrats 66.
Pechtold studied Archaeology and Dutch Golden Age painting, History of Dutch Art at the Leiden University obtaining a Ma ...
(24 June 2006 – 6 October 2018)
*
Sigrid Kaag
Sigrid Agnes Maria Kaag (; born 2 November 1961) is a Dutch diplomat and politician, serving as List of Ministers of Finance of the Netherlands, Minister of Finance and Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands, First Deputy Prime Minister in the ...
(4 September 2020 – present)
Chairpersons
*
Hans van Mierlo
Henricus Antonius Franciscus Maria Oliva "Hans" van Mierlo (; 18 August 1931 – 11 March 2010) was a Dutch politician and journalist who co-founded Democrats 66 (D66).
Van Mierlo studied Law at the Radboud University Nijmegen obtaining a Mas ...
(14 September 1966 – 16 February 1967)
*
Gerben Ringnalda (16 February 1967 – 18 November 1967)
*
Hans van Lookeren Campagne (18 November 1967 – 14 December 1968)
*
Jan Beekmans (14 December 1968 – 7 November 1971)
*
Ruby van der Scheer (7 November 1971 – 11 March 1973)
*
Jan ten Brink
Jan ten Brink (15 June 1834 – 18 July 1901) was a Dutch writer.
He was born in Appingedam, Netherlands. He studied in Leiden, went to Batavia for a few years, and in 1862 he became a teacher at a secondary school in The Hague. In 1884 he beca ...
(11 March 1973 – 6 November 1976)
*
Jan Glastra van Loon (6 November 1976 – 27 October 1979)
*
Henk Zeevalking
Hendrik Jan "Henk" Zeevalking (7 June 1922 – 23 February 2005) was a Dutch politician and co-founder of the Democrats 66 (D66) party and jurist.
Zeevalking attended a Gymnasium in Utrecht from April 1934 until June 1940 and applied at the Utr ...
(27 October 1979 – 11 September 1981)
*
Cees Spigt ''(Ad interim)'' (11 September 1981 – 14 November 1981)
*
Jan van Berkom (14 November 1981 – 30 October 1982)
*
Jacob Kohnstamm
Jacob Kohnstamm (born 14 November 1949) is a retired Dutch politician and jurist who was State Secretary for the Interior from 1994 to 1998. He is a member of the Democrats 66 (D66), which he chaired from 1982 to 1986.
Biography Studies and ...
(30 October 1982 – 20 May 1986)
*
Olga Scheltema ''(Ad interim)'' (20 May 1986 – 1 November 1986)
*
Saskia van der Loo (1 November 1986 – 29 October 1988)
*
Michel Jager
Michel may refer to:
* Michel (name), a given name or surname of French origin (and list of people with the name)
* Míchel (nickname), a nickname (a list of people with the nickname, mainly Spanish footballers)
* Míchel (footballer, born 1963), S ...
(29 October 1988 – 3 November 1990)
*
Ries Jansen (3 November 1990 – 28 November 1992)
*
Wim Vrijhoef (28 November 1992 – 23 November 1996)
*
Tom Kok
Tom or TOM may refer to:
* Tom (given name), a diminutive of Thomas or Tomás or an independent Aramaic given name (and a list of people with the name)
Characters
* Tom Anderson, a character in ''List of Beavis and Butt-Head characters#Local r ...
(23 November 1996 – 20 November 1999)
*
Gerard Schouw
Adrianus Gerardus (Gerard) Schouw (born 30 December 1965 in Monster, South Holland) is a Dutch corporate director and former politician. As a member of Democrats 66 (D66) he was an MP from 17 June 2010 till 31 July 2015. He focused on matters of ...
(20 November 1999 – 16 November 2002)
*
Alexander Pechtold
Alexander Pechtold (born 16 December 1965) is a retired Dutch politician and art historian. He is a member of Democrats 66.
Pechtold studied Archaeology and Dutch Golden Age painting, History of Dutch Art at the Leiden University obtaining a Ma ...
(16 November 2002 – 31 March 2005)
*
Jan Hoekema
Jan, JaN or JAN may refer to:
Acronyms
* Jackson, Mississippi (Amtrak station), US, Amtrak station code JAN
* Jackson-Evers International Airport, Mississippi, US, IATA code
* Jabhat al-Nusra (JaN), a Syrian militant group
* Japanese Article Numb ...
''(Ad interim)'' (31 March 2005 – 21 May 2005)
*
Frank Dales
Frank or Franks may refer to:
People
* Frank (given name)
* Frank (surname)
* Franks (surname)
* Franks, a medieval Germanic people
* Frank, a term in the Muslim world for all western Europeans, particularly during the Crusades - see Farang
Curre ...
(21 May 2005 – 2 March 2007)
*
Gerard Schouw
Adrianus Gerardus (Gerard) Schouw (born 30 December 1965 in Monster, South Holland) is a Dutch corporate director and former politician. As a member of Democrats 66 (D66) he was an MP from 17 June 2010 till 31 July 2015. He focused on matters of ...
''(Ad interim)'' (2 March 2007 – 12 May 2007)
*
Ingrid van Engelshoven
Ingrid Katharina van Engelshoven (born 12 July 1966) is a Dutch politician who served as Minister of Education, Culture and Science in the Third Rutte cabinet from 26 October 2017 until 10 January 2022.
A member of Democrats 66 (D66) party, s ...
(12 May 2007 – 9 March 2013)
*
Fleur Gräper (9 March 2013 – 13 September 2015)
*
Letty Demmers (13 September 2015 – 6 October 2018)
*
Anne-Marie Spierings (6 October 2018 – 13 November 2021)
*
Victor Everhardt
The name Victor or Viktor may refer to:
* Victor (name), including a list of people with the given name, mononym, or surname
Arts and entertainment
Film
* ''Victor'' (1951 film), a French drama film
* ''Victor'' (1993 film), a French shor ...
(13 November 2021 – present)
Parliamentary leaders
*
Parliamentary leader
A parliamentary leader is a political title or a descriptive term used in various countries to designate the person leading a parliamentary group or caucus in a legislative body, whether it be a national or sub-national legislature. They are the ...
s in the
House of Representatives
House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...
**
Hans van Mierlo
Henricus Antonius Franciscus Maria Oliva "Hans" van Mierlo (; 18 August 1931 – 11 March 2010) was a Dutch politician and journalist who co-founded Democrats 66 (D66).
Van Mierlo studied Law at the Radboud University Nijmegen obtaining a Mas ...
(23 February 1967 – 1 September 1973)
**
Jan Terlouw
Jan Cornelis Terlouw (born 15 November 1931) is a retired Dutch politician, physicist and author. A member of the Democrats 66 (D66) party, he served as Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 1981 to 1982 under Prime Minister Dries van A ...
(1 September 1973 – 11 September 1981)
**
Laurens Jan Brinkhorst
Laurens Jan Brinkhorst (born 18 March 1937) is a retired Dutch politician and diplomat of the Democrats 66 (D66) party and jurist.
Early life and education
Laurens-Jan Brinkhorst was born in the city of Zwolle. His parents were Marius Jacobus B ...
(11 September 1981 – 10 November 1982)
**
Maarten Engwirda
Maarten Boudewijn Engwirda (born 2 June 1943) is a retired Dutch politician of the Democrats 66 (D66) party.
Decorations
References
External links
1943 births
Living people
Commanders of the Order of Orange-Nassau
Dem ...
(10 November 1982 – 3 June 1986)
**
Hans van Mierlo
Henricus Antonius Franciscus Maria Oliva "Hans" van Mierlo (; 18 August 1931 – 11 March 2010) was a Dutch politician and journalist who co-founded Democrats 66 (D66).
Van Mierlo studied Law at the Radboud University Nijmegen obtaining a Mas ...
(3 June 1986 – 22 August 1994)
**
(22 August 1994 – 21 November 1997)
**
Thom de Graaf
Thomas Carolus "Thom" de Graaf (;''Thomas'' in isolation: . born 11 June 1957) is a Dutch politician of the Democrats 66 (D66) party and jurist. He is the Vice-President of the Council of State since 1 November 2018.
De Graaf attended the Ci ...
(21 November 1997 – 19 May 1998)
**
Els Borst
Else "Els" Borst-Eilers (; 22 March 1932 – 8 February 2014) was a Dutch politician of the Democrats 66 (D66) party and physician. She was granted the honorary title of Minister of State on 21 December 2012.
Borst worked as a medical researcher ...
(19 May 1998 – 30 May 1998)
**
Thom de Graaf
Thomas Carolus "Thom" de Graaf (;''Thomas'' in isolation: . born 11 June 1957) is a Dutch politician of the Democrats 66 (D66) party and jurist. He is the Vice-President of the Council of State since 1 November 2018.
De Graaf attended the Ci ...
(30 May 1998 – 22 January 2003)
**
Boris Dittrich
Boris Ottokar Dittrich (; born 21 July 1955) is a Dutch politician of the Democrats 66 (D66) party, jurist, author and human rights activist. He is a Member of the Senate since 11 June 2019.
Dittrich's father came to the Netherlands as a polit ...
(22 January 2003 – 3 February 2006)
**
Lousewies van der Laan
Louse Wies Sija Anne Lilly Berthe "Lousewies" van der Laan (born 18 February 1966) is a retired Netherlands, Dutch politician of the Democrats 66 (D66) party and jurist.
Life before politics
In her youth, Van der Laan lived in Belgium, Germany, ...
(3 February 2006 – 30 November 2006)
**
Alexander Pechtold
Alexander Pechtold (born 16 December 1965) is a retired Dutch politician and art historian. He is a member of Democrats 66.
Pechtold studied Archaeology and Dutch Golden Age painting, History of Dutch Art at the Leiden University obtaining a Ma ...
(30 November 2006 – 9 October 2018)
**
Rob Jetten
Rob Arnoldus Adrianus Jetten (; born 25 March 1987) is a Dutch politician of Democrats 66 (D66). He served as the party's parliamentary leader in the House of Representatives.
Early life and education
Jetten grew up in Uden, Noord-Brabant and ...
(9 October 2018 – 18 March 2021)
**
Sigrid Kaag
Sigrid Agnes Maria Kaag (; born 2 November 1961) is a Dutch diplomat and politician, serving as List of Ministers of Finance of the Netherlands, Minister of Finance and Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands, First Deputy Prime Minister in the ...
(18 March 2021 – 25 May 2021)
**
Rob Jetten
Rob Arnoldus Adrianus Jetten (; born 25 March 1987) is a Dutch politician of Democrats 66 (D66). He served as the party's parliamentary leader in the House of Representatives.
Early life and education
Jetten grew up in Uden, Noord-Brabant and ...
(25 May 2021 – 28 September 2021)
**
Sigrid Kaag
Sigrid Agnes Maria Kaag (; born 2 November 1961) is a Dutch diplomat and politician, serving as List of Ministers of Finance of the Netherlands, Minister of Finance and Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands, First Deputy Prime Minister in the ...
(28 September 2021 – 10 January 2022)
**
Jan Paternotte (11 January 2022 – present)
*
Parliamentary leader
A parliamentary leader is a political title or a descriptive term used in various countries to designate the person leading a parliamentary group or caucus in a legislative body, whether it be a national or sub-national legislature. They are the ...
s in the
Senate
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
**
Bert Schwarz (11 May 1971 – 17 September 1973)
**
Paula Wassen-van Schaveren
Paula or PAULA may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Fictional characters
* Paula, in video game ''EarthBound''
* Paula, List of The Larry Sanders Show characters, in ''The Larry Sanders Show''
* Paula Campbell (EastEnders), Paula Campbell (''East ...
(17 September 1973 – 17 September 1974)
**
Doeke Eisma (17 September 1974 – 20 September 1977)
** ''No representation''
(20 September 1977 – 16 September 1980)
**
Jan Glastra van Loon (16 September 1980 – 3 December 1985)
**
Jan Vis
Jacob Jan Vis (30 October 1933, in Wormerveer
Wormerveer is a town in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Zaanstad, and lies about 13 km northwest of Amsterdam.
Wormerveer developed in the 15th centur ...
(3 December 1985 – 1 March 1995)
**
Eddy Schuyer (1 March 1995 – 12 June 2007)
**
Gerard Schouw
Adrianus Gerardus (Gerard) Schouw (born 30 December 1965 in Monster, South Holland) is a Dutch corporate director and former politician. As a member of Democrats 66 (D66) he was an MP from 17 June 2010 till 31 July 2015. He focused on matters of ...
(12 June 2007 – 17 June 2010)
**
Hans Engels
Hans may refer to:
__NOTOC__ People
* Hans (name), a masculine given name
* Hans Raj Hans, Indian singer and politician
** Navraj Hans, Indian singer, actor, entrepreneur, cricket player and performer, son of Hans Raj Hans
** Yuvraj Hans, Punjabi ...
(22 June 2010 – 7 June 2011)
**
Roger van Boxtel
Roger Henri Ludovic Maria van Boxtel (born 8 February 1954) is a retired Dutch politician of the Democrats 66 (D66) party and businessman.
Van Boxtel attended a Keizer Karel Gymnasium in Amstelveen from April 1966 until May 1973 and applied at ...
(7 June 2011 – 9 June 2015)
**
Thom de Graaf
Thomas Carolus "Thom" de Graaf (;''Thomas'' in isolation: . born 11 June 1957) is a Dutch politician of the Democrats 66 (D66) party and jurist. He is the Vice-President of the Council of State since 1 November 2018.
De Graaf attended the Ci ...
(9 June 2015 – 26 June 2018)
**
Hans Engels
Hans may refer to:
__NOTOC__ People
* Hans (name), a masculine given name
* Hans Raj Hans, Indian singer and politician
** Navraj Hans, Indian singer, actor, entrepreneur, cricket player and performer, son of Hans Raj Hans
** Yuvraj Hans, Punjabi ...
(26 June 2018 – 11 June 2019)
**
Annelien Bredenoord (11 June 2019 – present)
Top candidates
* ''
Lijsttrekker
In politics, a lead candidate (; , ) is the leader of a political party in an election to a legislative body. In parliamentary systems, it is often the party's nominee for the position of head of government. In open list electoral systems, it is t ...
'' –
General election
A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...
**
Hans van Mierlo
Henricus Antonius Franciscus Maria Oliva "Hans" van Mierlo (; 18 August 1931 – 11 March 2010) was a Dutch politician and journalist who co-founded Democrats 66 (D66).
Van Mierlo studied Law at the Radboud University Nijmegen obtaining a Mas ...
–
1967
Events
January
* January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair.
* January 5
** Spain and Romania sign an agreement in Paris, establishing full consular and ...
·
1971 *
The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses ( February 25, July 22 and August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 10, and August 6).
The world population increased by 2.1% this year, the highest increase in history.
Events
Ja ...
·
1972
Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, me ...
**
Jan Terlouw
Jan Cornelis Terlouw (born 15 November 1931) is a retired Dutch politician, physicist and author. A member of the Democrats 66 (D66) party, he served as Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 1981 to 1982 under Prime Minister Dries van A ...
–
1977
Events January
* January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group.
* January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democratic R ...
·
1981
Events January
* January 1
** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union.
** Palau becomes a self-governing territory.
* January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...
·
1982
Events January
* January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00).
* January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street bridges, 14th Street Bridge in ...
**
Hans van Mierlo
Henricus Antonius Franciscus Maria Oliva "Hans" van Mierlo (; 18 August 1931 – 11 March 2010) was a Dutch politician and journalist who co-founded Democrats 66 (D66).
Van Mierlo studied Law at the Radboud University Nijmegen obtaining a Mas ...
–
1986
The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles.
**Spain and Portugal ente ...
·
1989
File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress Street Viaduct, Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxo ...
·
1994
File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which Sinking of the MS Estonia, sank in ...
**
Els Borst
Else "Els" Borst-Eilers (; 22 March 1932 – 8 February 2014) was a Dutch politician of the Democrats 66 (D66) party and physician. She was granted the honorary title of Minister of State on 21 December 2012.
Borst worked as a medical researcher ...
–
1998
1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''.
Events January
* January 6 – The '' Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently ...
**
Thom de Graaf
Thomas Carolus "Thom" de Graaf (;''Thomas'' in isolation: . born 11 June 1957) is a Dutch politician of the Democrats 66 (D66) party and jurist. He is the Vice-President of the Council of State since 1 November 2018.
De Graaf attended the Ci ...
–
2002
File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...
·
2003
File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...
**
Alexander Pechtold
Alexander Pechtold (born 16 December 1965) is a retired Dutch politician and art historian. He is a member of Democrats 66.
Pechtold studied Archaeology and Dutch Golden Age painting, History of Dutch Art at the Leiden University obtaining a Ma ...
–
2006
File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
·
2010
File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
·
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
·
2017
File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...
**
Sigrid Kaag
Sigrid Agnes Maria Kaag (; born 2 November 1961) is a Dutch diplomat and politician, serving as List of Ministers of Finance of the Netherlands, Minister of Finance and Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands, First Deputy Prime Minister in the ...
–
2021
File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...
* ''
Lijsttrekker
In politics, a lead candidate (; , ) is the leader of a political party in an election to a legislative body. In parliamentary systems, it is often the party's nominee for the position of head of government. In open list electoral systems, it is t ...
'' –
Senate election
**
Jan Glastra van Loon – 1980 · 1981 · 1983
**
Jan Vis
Jacob Jan Vis (30 October 1933, in Wormerveer
Wormerveer is a town in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Zaanstad, and lies about 13 km northwest of Amsterdam.
Wormerveer developed in the 15th centur ...
– 1986 · 1987 · 1991
**
Eddy Schuyer – 1995 · 1999 ·
2003
File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...
**
Gerard Schouw
Adrianus Gerardus (Gerard) Schouw (born 30 December 1965 in Monster, South Holland) is a Dutch corporate director and former politician. As a member of Democrats 66 (D66) he was an MP from 17 June 2010 till 31 July 2015. He focused on matters of ...
–
2007
File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...
**
Roger van Boxtel
Roger Henri Ludovic Maria van Boxtel (born 8 February 1954) is a retired Dutch politician of the Democrats 66 (D66) party and businessman.
Van Boxtel attended a Keizer Karel Gymnasium in Amstelveen from April 1966 until May 1973 and applied at ...
–
2011
File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...
**
Thom de Graaf
Thomas Carolus "Thom" de Graaf (;''Thomas'' in isolation: . born 11 June 1957) is a Dutch politician of the Democrats 66 (D66) party and jurist. He is the Vice-President of the Council of State since 1 November 2018.
De Graaf attended the Ci ...
–
2015
File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...
**
Annelien Bredenoord –
2019
File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
* ''
Lijsttrekker
In politics, a lead candidate (; , ) is the leader of a political party in an election to a legislative body. In parliamentary systems, it is often the party's nominee for the position of head of government. In open list electoral systems, it is t ...
'' –
European Parliament election
Elections to the European Parliament take place every five years by universal adult suffrage; with more than 400 million people eligible to vote, they are considered the second largest democratic elections in the world after India's.
Until ...
**
Aar de Goede –
1979
Events
January
* January 1
** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...
**
Doeke Eisma –
1984
Events
January
* January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888.
* January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...
**
Jan-Willem Bertens –
1989
File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress Street Viaduct, Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxo ...
·
1994
File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which Sinking of the MS Estonia, sank in ...
**
Lousewies van der Laan
Louse Wies Sija Anne Lilly Berthe "Lousewies" van der Laan (born 18 February 1966) is a retired Netherlands, Dutch politician of the Democrats 66 (D66) party and jurist.
Life before politics
In her youth, Van der Laan lived in Belgium, Germany, ...
–
1999
File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shootin ...
**
Sophie in 't Veld
Sophia Helena "Sophie" in 't Veld (born 13 September 1963) is a Dutch politician of the Democrats 66 party. She was elected as a Member of the European Parliament in 2004, and reelected in 2009, 2014 and 2019. She was her party's top candidate fo ...
–
2004
2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO).
Events January
* January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...
·
2009
File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...
·
2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
·
2019
File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
Party board
*
Victor Everhardt
The name Victor or Viktor may refer to:
* Victor (name), including a list of people with the given name, mononym, or surname
Arts and entertainment
Film
* ''Victor'' (1951 film), a French drama film
* ''Victor'' (1993 film), a French shor ...
, chair
*
Nadia Arsieni
Nadia is a female name. Variations include Nadja (given name), Nadja, Nadya, Nadine (given name), Nadine, Nadiya, and Nadiia. Most variations of the name are derived from Arabic, Slavic languages, or both.
In Slavic, names similar to ''Nadia'' m ...
, secretary
*
Rob Meijer
Rob or ROB may refer to:
Places
* Rob, Velike Lašče, a settlement in Slovenia
* Roberts International Airport (IATA code ROB), in Monrovia, Liberia
People
* Rob (given name), a given name or nickname, e.g., for Robert(o), Robin/Robyn
* Rob ...
, treasurer
*
Maartje Jansen, board member (international relations)
*
Hester Duursema, board member (communications and recruitment)
*
Wietske Veltman, board member (association and education)
Linked organisations
The
youth wing
A youth wing is a subsidiary, autonomous, or independently allied front of a larger organization (usually a political party but occasionally another type of organization) that is formed in order to rally support for that organization from members ...
of D66 is called the
Young Democrats (, abbreviated JD). It has produced several prominent active members of D66, such as former MP
Boris van der Ham
Boris van der Ham (born 29 August 1973) is a Dutch writer, humanist, former politician, and actor. On 23 May 2002, he became a member of the House of Representatives for the Democrats 66, a social liberal party. From 24 November 2012 to 21 Nove ...
. The JD is a member of
European Liberal Youth
European Liberal Youth (abbreviated as LYMEC) is an international organisation of liberal youth movements – mostly the youth wings of members of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party but also individual members.
LYMEC holds ...
and the
International Federation of Liberal Youth
The International Federation of Liberal Youth (IFLRY) is an international liberal youth organization. It consists of a global membership of national youth organizations. These are often but not exclusively affiliated with political parties that ...
.
D66 is a co-founder of the
Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy
The Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy (NIMD; Dutch: ''Nederlands Instituut voor Meerpartijendemocratie'') works to promote peaceful, just and inclusive politics worldwide. NIMD's approach is characterized by dialogue, which it facilit ...
, a democracy assistance organisation of seven Dutch political parties. The
Hans van Mierlo Foundation
The Master of Laws, Mr. Hans van Mierlo Foundation ( nl, Mr. Hans van Mierlo Stichting) is a Dutch Think tank, policy institute linked to the Democrats 66 (D66) party. The foundation is named after journalist and politician Hans van Mierlo, the co- ...
is the party's
policy institute
A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governmental ...
.
International affiliation
D66 is a member of the
Liberal International
Liberal International (LI) is a worldwide organization of liberal political parties - a political international. It was founded in Oxford in 1947 and has become the pre-eminent network for liberal parties, aiming to strengthen liberalism around ...
and of the
Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe
The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE; french: Alliance des Démocrates et des Libéraux pour l'Europe, ADLE) is a transnational alliance between two European political parties, the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Euro ...
(ALDE). D66 joined the
Liberal and Democratic Reformists (LDR) group in 1989.
It became a full member of the
European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party
European, or Europeans, or Europeneans, may refer to:
In general
* ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe
** Ethnic groups in Europe
** Demographics of Europe
** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe ...
(ELDR) in 1994 and a full member of the Liberal International in 1986.
Democrats 66
on liberal-international.org
Relationships to other parties
In recent elections, political commentators have positioned D66 at the centre of the political spectrum. This offers the party a lot of possibilities for co-operation with other parties in the Dutch political landscape. Historically, D66 has often co-operated in cabinets with the Labour Party (PvdA). They were in four cabinets together ( Den Uyl, Van Agt II, Kok I and Kok II), and formed a shadow cabinet in the early seventies. However, there have been heavy tensions between D66 and the PvdA on three occasions: in 1981, when D66 decided to continue to govern with the Christian Democratic Appeal
The Christian Democratic Appeal ( nl, Christen-Democratisch Appèl, ; CDA) is a Christian-democratic political party in the Netherlands. It was originally formed in 1977 from a confederation of the Catholic People's Party, the Anti-Revolutionary ...
(CDA) after the PvdA had left the first Van Agt cabinet
The First Van Agt cabinet, also called the Van Agt–Wiegel cabinet was the executive branch of the Dutch Government from 19 December 1977 until 11 September 1981. The cabinet was formed by the christian-democratic Christian Democratic Appeal ( ...
; in 1989, when the PvdA formed the third Lubbers cabinet
The Third Lubbers cabinet, also called the Lubbers–Kok cabinet, was the executive branch of the Dutch government from 7 November 1989 to 22 August 1994. The cabinet was formed the christian-democratic Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) and the ...
without D66; and in 2003, when D66 joined the second Balkenende cabinet
The second Balkenende cabinet was the executive branch of the Government of the Netherlands from 27 May 2003 until 7 July 2006. The cabinet was formed by the Christian-democratic Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA), the conservative-liberal Peop ...
.
Ideologically, the social liberal D66 is linked to People's Party for Freedom and Democracy
The People's Party for Freedom and Democracy ( nl, Volkspartij voor Vrijheid en Democratie ; VVD) is a conservative-liberal Andeweg, R. and G. Irwin ''Politics and Governance in the Netherlands'', Basingstoke (Palgrave) p.49 political party in ...
(VVD), although VVD is considered a party of conservative liberalism
Conservative liberalism or right-liberalism is a variant of liberalism, combining liberal values and policies with conservative stances, or simply representing the right-wing of the liberal movement. M. Gallagher, M. Laver and P. Mair, ''Repre ...
. This resulted in five coalition governments ( Kok I, Kok II, Balkenende II, Rutte III and Rutte IV). Both D66 and the VVD are members of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe
The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE; french: Alliance des Démocrates et des Libéraux pour l'Europe, ADLE) is a transnational alliance between two European political parties, the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Euro ...
(ALDE) and their respective members in the European Parliament are part of the Renew Europe
Renew Europe (Renew) is a liberal, pro-European political group of the European Parliament founded for the ninth European Parliament term. The group is the successor to the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) group which exist ...
group.
See also
* Liberal democracy
Liberal democracy is the combination of a liberal political ideology that operates under an indirect democratic form of government. It is characterized by elections between multiple distinct political parties, a separation of powers into diff ...
* Liberalism in the Netherlands
Liberalism in the Netherlands started as an anti-monarchical effort spearheaded by the Dutch statesman Thorbecke, who almost single-handedly wrote the 1848 Constitution of the Netherlands that turned the country into a constitutional monarchy.
In ...
* Water Natuurlijk
Water Natuurlijk ( or 'Water Of Course') is a political party in the Netherlands that focuses exclusively on water board politics. The party received the highest number of votes in the 2008, 2015 and 2019 water board elections.
History
Wate ...
Notes
References
External links
*
International website
Profile at DNPP
{{Authority control
1966 establishments in the Netherlands
Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party member parties
Centre-left parties in Europe
Centrist parties in the Netherlands
European federalist parties
Green political parties in the Netherlands
Liberal International
Liberal parties in Europe
Political parties established in 1966
Political parties in the Netherlands
Pro-European political parties in the Netherlands
Progressive parties
Social liberal parties
Organisations based in The Hague