The General Elderly Alliance (in Dutch: ''Algemeen Ouderen Verbond'', AOV) was a
Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
pensioners'
political party
A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific ideological or p ...
. The AOV was very successful in the
1994 elections
The following elections occurred in the year 1994.
Africa
* 1994 Botswana general election
* 1994 Guinea-Bissau general election
* 1994 Malawian general election
* 1994 Mozambican general election
* 1994 Namibian general election
* 1994 South Af ...
but disappeared four years later.
Party History
The AOV was founded on December 1, 1993. The direct cause for the formation of the AOV were budget cuts on
retirement home
A retirement home – sometimes called an old people's home or old age home, although ''old people's home'' can also refer to a nursing home – is a multi-residence housing facility intended for the elderly. Typically, each person or couple in ...
s. During the
1994 election campaign one of the governing parties, the
CDA, announced that it would cut
government pensions. This made the AOV very attractive to the elderly. During the campaign the party organized several successful mass protests against budget cuts. The party won six seats. The
Union 55+, another party aiming to represent the elderly, also won one seat.
In the autumn of 1994 a conflict developed in the party between Nijpels and the party's founder Batenburg. This results in a split within the parliamentary party and the party board. After the split there was no party in parliament which was allowed to call itself AOV by the presidium. In the 1995
Senate election, the party won two seats, one of which was taken by Batenburg, who immediately became an independent. In 1998 the party's sole senator joined the CDA. In the
elections of the same year the AOV formed a new party, the Elderly Union (Ouderenunie), whilst Batenburg also participated in the election as the New Solidary Elderly Alliance. All were unable to win a seat.
Ideology & Issues
The party was a typical
one issue party
Single-issue politics involves political campaigning or political support based on one essential policy area or idea.
Political expression
One weakness of such an approach is that effective political party, political parties are usually coali ...
: it sought to better the position of the elderly, by increasing government pensions.
Representation
This table the AOV's results in elections to 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 ...
,
Senate and
States-Provincial, as well as the party's political leadership: the fractievoorzitter, is the chair of the parliamentary party and the lijsttrekker is the party's top candidate in the general election, these posts are normally taken by the party's leader.
*: Split from the party after 1995.
**: estimates of the number of members elected on combined AOV/
Unie 55+ lists.
Municipal and Provincial Government
In several
provincial and
local legislatures elderly parties, sometimes officially linked to the AOV, held seats.
In the period 1995-1999 the party had its own parliamentary parties with one or two seats in provincial legislatures in
Limburg
Limburg or Limbourg may refer to:
Regions
* Limburg (Belgium), a province since 1839 in the Flanders region of Belgium
* Limburg (Netherlands), a province since 1839 in the south of the Netherlands
* Diocese of Limburg, Roman Catholic Diocese in ...
,
Zeeland
, nl, Ik worstel en kom boven("I struggle and emerge")
, anthem = "Zeeuws volkslied"("Zeelandic Anthem")
, image_map = Zeeland in the Netherlands.svg
, map_alt =
, m ...
,
Utrecht
Utrecht ( , , ) is the fourth-largest city and a municipality of the Netherlands, capital and most populous city of the province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, in the very centre of mainland Net ...
,
Overijssel,
Friesland
Friesland (, ; official fry, Fryslân ), historically and traditionally known as Frisia, is a province of the Netherlands located in the country's northern part. It is situated west of Groningen, northwest of Drenthe and Overijssel, north of ...
and
Groningen. In the other six provinces it ran a joint list with
Unie 55+ which won more seats. In
North Brabant
North Brabant ( nl, Noord-Brabant ; Brabantian: ; ), also unofficially called Brabant, is a province in the south of the Netherlands. It borders the provinces of South Holland and Gelderland to the north, Limburg to the east, Zeeland to the w ...
this party had 5 seats out of 79. In the period 1999-2003 the party had representatives in only four provinces all in combined AOV/Unie 55+ parties.
In
Eindhoven the party was particularly successful - in the 1994 municipal elections the party, led by Jet Nijpels, won a considerable number of seats and participated in the
local executive.
Electorate
The party was supported by elderly, especially by former CDA-voters from the Southern provinces,
North Brabant
North Brabant ( nl, Noord-Brabant ; Brabantian: ; ), also unofficially called Brabant, is a province in the south of the Netherlands. It borders the provinces of South Holland and Gelderland to the north, Limburg to the east, Zeeland to the w ...
and
Limburg
Limburg or Limbourg may refer to:
Regions
* Limburg (Belgium), a province since 1839 in the Flanders region of Belgium
* Limburg (Netherlands), a province since 1839 in the south of the Netherlands
* Diocese of Limburg, Roman Catholic Diocese in ...
.
International Comparison
The party can be compared to other suddenly successful elderly parties, like the Israeli
Gil, but unlike that party, the AOV did not participate in government.
{{Historical Dutch political parties
Pensioners' parties
Populism in the Netherlands
Defunct political parties in the Netherlands
Political parties established in 1993
Political parties disestablished in 1998
1993 establishments in the Netherlands