16 September 2025
‘Ahhh, can you smell that? It’s finally election season!’ – said no Dutch person ever.
For most Dutch Jewish people, or people who have spent a large portion of their life in this country, election season might not raise the excitement you would expect from what is supposed to be the main instrument of democracy.
What is this election fatigue you might be sensing? Well, speaking as a Jewish person who has spent most of her life in the Netherlands (since the tender age of three), I’ve now been part of the voting society for over eight years. And yet here I am, heading into my fourth national election—when it really should have been only my second.
Thus, I thought it would be interesting to look back at the last couple of elections. For Jewish Dutchies, it might be fun to relate; for non-Dutch readers, it might help make sense of the political context you’re living in. And let’s not forget: if you live here as an EU citizen, you can also vote! For non-EU citizens, after five years of living here, you become part of the voting community too. Be aware, that politics can have a big effect on how we, as a Jewish society are recognized, protected, and represented too! It definitely can´t hurt to be a little invested. The goal of this week’s column is to get you excited for voting on the 29th of October.
So welcome, mishpocheh, into the circus that is our election system. Let´s begin the timeline, starting from exactly 8 years ago.
2017
Personally, my first election. I remember it quite well; the excitement of having a vote, receiving the ballot through the mailbox, addressed especially to me (at that age, receiving personalised mail was quite the rarity), and the discussions at school. Some of my friends were surprisingly well-informed and invested in the political shifts, while for others, their main knowledge of what happened in The Hague boiled down to the existence of Mark Rutte, Geert Wilders, and their ongoing feud.
That year, I learned that almost every political party had its own unique mix of themes and points of view—each representing a distinct slice of society. On the one hand, there were the Christian parties like CDA, ChristenUnie, and SGP (which were especially popular in my town). Then you had the liberal parties—though in the Dutch sense, ‘liberal’ really means economically liberal, closer to what Americans might call libertarian: free market, small government in economic matters, but generally progressive on personal freedoms. These ranged from the center-right VVD (lead by Prime Minister Rutte at the time) to the more center-left D66. Then there were the real left-wing parties: some with a strong environmental focus, like GroenLinks or Partij voor de Dieren, and others with a more socio-economic focus, like SP (Socialist Party) or PvdA (Labour). Beyond that, you had niche parties, such as 50PLUS (representing the elderly) and DENK (focusing on immigrant and Islamic representation). And finally, there were the far-right-wing populist and nationalist parties, like Geert Wilders’ PVV and the then-newcomer Forum voor Democratie, which put immigration and national identity at the center of their campaigns.
By the time, the largest share went to liberal (economically) (~33.5%), followed by left-wing (~27%), Christian (~15.8%), and nationalist/populist (~14.8%). Looking back, those numbers reflect the big debates of the time. The financial crisis had just faded, so themes like economic recovery, healthcare costs, and pensions were front and center—playing to the strengths of the liberals as well as the left-winged parties. However, the left looked very different from in earlier years: Labour (PvdA), after governing in coalition with VVD from 2012 to 2017, collapsed to a historic low as voters punished them for unpopular compromises, while GroenLinks, SP, and the Party for the Animals picked up much of the progressive momentum.
For me, the choice was overwhelming, as the differences and overlaps between the parties and their views still somewhat eluded me, despite my high school’s effort in teaching me the basics of political science. Voting for Christian parties as a Jew seemed like a weird thing to do (whilst these parties are actually typically quite supportive of Jews in the Netherlands). And while I loved animals, choosing the Party for the Animals felt less urgent than grappling with the economic issues everyone seemed to be talking about. The trauma of the financial crisis was still lingering in my town, which struggled with empty shops, stalled development, and people burned out or stuck at home waiting for better days.
In the end I just voted the same as my mother..
2021
My second election. At the ripe age of 22 I felt more equipped with personal opinions, armed with four years of ‘wise(acre)’ knowledge from university, and fading insecurities of being the only immigrant in a small rural town. I felt like, actually, this time, my vote would matter. Unfortunately, we all know what time 2021 was – it was COVID-19 all around, forming a heavy blanket around everything and everyone.
With face masks on and standing half a meter distance from one another, the debates were dominated by crisis management, healthcare, and generally, trust in government. The Toeslagenaffaire (benefits scandal) had just caused Rutte III to fall in January 2021—right before the March elections—forcing the entire coalition of VVD, CDA, D66, and ChristenUnie to resign collectively. At the same time, promises about student loans and interest rates were broken, which caused quite a rage (and many demonstrations) among my generation.
Despite the dramatic circumstances, partly due to great visibility during the pandemic (everyone who was around will certainly remember the legendary press conferences), Rutte’s VVD managed to hold on with 21.9%. D66 unexpectedly surged to 15.0%, carried by its pro-European, progressive message and Sigrid Kaag’s strong campaign. Volt, another new pro-European party, also entered parliament with 2.4%. Together (if given the liberty of grouping), forming a libertarian block of nearly 40%. At the same time, the traditional Christian bloc stood steadily at 15.0%. The left-wing bloc endured a big knock, shrinking from 27.1% to 21.2%, as none of its parties managed to capture momentum: Labour (PvdA) and the Socialists (SP) remained small, and GroenLinks lost ground instead of breaking through as a climate powerhouse. It seemed like the pandemic had some negative effect on people’s long-term earth-saving sentiments..
Populist and anti-immigrant sentiments grew slightly to about 18%, but Geert Wilders and his PVV still found themselves on the sidelines, as Rutte imposed a tight cordon sanitaire after Wilders helped topple his first cabinet in 2012.
2023
Again, the cabinet (Rutte IV, miraculously consisting of the same parties exactly as Rutte III, despite falling 3 years earlier) collapsed over disputes on asylum and migration policy. I remember being quite surprised by it all. Wasn’t this the time to really push through with important matters? Like housing? Healthcare? Ukraine war? What are we to think of this political telenovela of personal feuds, childish backlashes, and non-democratic exclusions? The country was, to say the least, fed up with the way things were going, and trust in government plummeted.
This was, of course, reflected in the campaigns (and later on the results) too. Beneath the familiar, obvious issues like housing and health care, new messages rose from the depths of public dissatisfaction, and parties took their places on the stage of discontent. Centre and far-right parties threw everything they had at the theme of immigration. The left rallied around the message of preventing a right-wing cabinet from pushing the country toward ecological and social apocalypse. And a brand-new player, the New Social Contract—led by Pieter Omtzigt, the central figure in one of the dramatic scandals of the previous cabinet’s collapse—focused almost entirely on ‘reshaping’ the Dutch political system itself.
Maybe it was just a sign of the times, not so different from the rest of Europe, where far-right parties were gaining traction too. But the results were nevertheless surprising. Populist and anti-immigrant parties made a historic leap, growing from 18% in 2021 to over 30% in 2023, with Wilders’ PVV alone capturing 23.5% and newcomer BBB, fresh off its spectacular provincial victory earlier that year, entering parliament with 4.7%. The liberal and centrist bloc held together at around 37%, but fractured: VVD, now led by Dilan Yeşilgöz—who lacked the long-cultivated popularity of Mark Rutte—slipped to 15.2%, D66 halved to 6.3%, while Pieter Omtzigt’s brand-new NSC stormed in with 12.9%. The left bloc remained more or less stable at 22%, mainly thanks to the GroenLinks–PvdA alliance’s, but hardly gaining the numbers they needed to play centre court. Meanwhile, the Christian parties continued their long decline, reduced to barely 7% combined.
Flash forward almost two years (2025): 223 days were consumed by the endless search for a coalition between parties that normally wouldn’t even want to breathe the same air. Months were spent just trying to find a prime minister, since the frontrunner from the polls (Geert Wilders) was deemed unacceptable. By the time a deal was struck, half the familiar faces had already left the stage—Rutte, Kaag, Hoekstra, Kuiken, Van der Staaij, Azarkan, Simons—an entire generation of leaders stepping aside, worn down by the drama. The new cabinet lasted only 52 days before collapsing, leaving the country with nearly a year of caretaker government, unable or unwilling to take responsibility for most of the promises made in the last election. And now, once again, we the people are summoned to the ballot boxes to carry out our duty as invested citizens.
If this wasn’t enough to make the country lose trust in politics, the caretaker cabinet took another hit last month when NSC walked out—after the PVV had already done so in June. This left behind an unprecedentedly confusing situation, with a minority cabinet that could no longer realistically govern. At the same time, the parties pointed fingers at one another in search of a scapegoat, only to then collectively decide to pretend there had never been a dispute at all—as an attempt to seem somewhat in control over the situation to the public.
For me, and perhaps for many of you, the painful part is that the fall of the cabinet was tied to the situation in the Middle East—or more specifically, Gaza. The fact that a war gripping us all, on both sides of the conflict, is also shaking the integrity of democracy here in the country where we live and breathe feels terrible. Whatever your point of view may be, it is disheartening to see that this place—where some of us have found solace and safety in recent years—now has a political system cracking under the same weight we carry every day.
But thankfully, rock bottom has finally been reached, and now it is up to all of us to take responsibility—if we are to save our politics, and with it, the country itself! And all jokes and criticisms aside, I´m still very proud of our system and the politicians in it, working night and day to keep this country running.
So what are the options? Why don´t you all let this sink in a bit first, and then we can tune in for part 2 later to see which horses we have to bet on this time…
Definitions List
Tweede Kamer – The Dutch House of Representatives (lower house of parliament), with 150 seats elected by proportional representation.
Eerste Kamer – The Dutch Senate (upper house of parliament), with 75 members elected indirectly by provincial councils.
Cabinet (kabinet) – The Dutch national government, consisting of the Prime Minister and all ministers (each usually heading a ministry, often with one or more state secretaries beneath them). Cabinets are formed after elections through coalition negotiations between parties, since no single party ever wins a majority in the Tweede Kamer. Unlike in some countries, the cabinet — not the parliament — is the main executive power: it proposes laws, runs day-to-day governance, and represents the Netherlands internationally.
Caretaker cabinet (demissionair kabinet) – A government that has resigned or fallen but continues to handle day-to-day affairs until a new cabinet is formed. It cannot make major new policy decisions.
Verkiezingsprogramma – A party’s official election manifesto or platform, outlining its views, priorities, and policy proposals.
Stemwijzer (VoteMatch) – An online tool that asks you a series of questions about your views and then shows which political parties align most closely.
Cordon sanitaire – An informal agreement by mainstream parties to exclude a certain party (often considered extreme) from coalition talks or government participation. In the Netherlands, this has often applied to Geert Wilders’ PVV.
Liberal (Dutch sense) – Economically liberal: supporting free markets and limited government in the economy, while generally progressive on personal freedoms. This differs from the American use of “liberal,” which usually means left-leaning or progressive.
Populism – A style of politics that claims to represent “the people” against “the elite.” In the Netherlands, this often overlaps with nationalist and anti-immigration positions.
Issue ownership – The idea that certain political parties are strongly associated with specific issues (e.g. PVV with immigration, GL–PvdA with climate, VVD with the economy).
Toeslagenaffaire (Child Benefits Scandal) – A major political scandal in which thousands of families, many with migrant backgrounds, were wrongly accused of fraud in the childcare benefits system. It led to financial ruin for many families and caused the resignation of Rutte III in 2021.
Mishpocheh – A Yiddish word meaning “family” or “extended family,” often used affectionately to include one’s broader community.
Political Parties
VVD (Volkspartij voor Vrijheid en Democratie) – The main center-right liberal party, traditionally pro–free market, small government in economic matters, but progressive on personal freedoms. Long led by Mark Rutte, later by Dilan Yeşilgöz.
D66 (Democraten 66) – A progressive, pro-European liberal party, economically liberal but socially progressive, often appealing to urban, educated voters.
CDA (Christen-Democratisch Appèl) – A traditional Christian-democratic party, centrist, emphasizing family values, community, and social responsibility. Historically one of the big three parties, though in long-term decline.
ChristenUnie (CU) – A small socially conservative but socially minded Christian party, combining religious values with focus on social justice.
SGP (Staatkundig Gereformeerde Partij) – An orthodox Calvinist party, the oldest political party in the Netherlands, socially conservative and traditional.
PvdA (Partij van de Arbeid / Labour Party) – A traditional center-left, social-democratic party focused on workers’ rights, welfare, and equality.
SP (Socialistische Partij) – A left-wing socialist party, strongly focused on healthcare, social justice, and income equality.
GroenLinks (GreenLeft) – A left-wing party focused on climate change, sustainability, and progressive values.
Partij voor de Dieren (PvdD) – The “Party for the Animals,” originally founded on animal rights and environmental sustainability, increasingly seen as a broader progressive party.
GL–PvdA alliance – Since 2023, GroenLinks and PvdA have run as a joint bloc to strengthen the left-wing voice in Dutch politics.
PVV (Partij voor de Vrijheid) – Geert Wilders’ right-wing populist party, heavily focused on immigration, nationalism, and Euroscepticism.
Forum voor Democratie (FvD) – A far-right populist party founded in 2016, initially presenting itself as intellectual conservative, later radicalized with conspiratorial and anti-establishment rhetoric.
JA21 – A right-wing splinter party from FvD, focused on immigration, law and order, and national identity, but with a more “polished” image than PVV.
NSC (Nieuw Sociaal Contract) – A centrist reformist party founded by Pieter Omtzigt in 2023, emphasizing transparency, accountability, and institutional reform.
BBB (BoerBurgerBeweging / Farmer–Citizen Movement) – A populist party rooted in the farmers’ protests, emphasizing rural concerns, opposition to nitrogen policy, and skepticism toward urban elites.
Volt Nederland – The Dutch branch of the pan-European Volt movement, strongly pro-European, progressive, and reform-oriented.
DENK – A party founded to represent immigrant communities, especially of Turkish and Moroccan background, focused on anti-discrimination, inclusion, and diversity.
50PLUS – A party representing the interests of older citizens, especially pensions and retirement security.
BIJ1 – A small progressive, anti-racist, intersectional party founded by Sylvana Simons, with a strong focus on equality and justice.
About the writer
Hi, I’m Ruth. Once a week, I sit down to write a column about being Jewish, modern, young, and eager to learn. Some weeks, I might invite someone for a talk. Other weeks, I might dive into research, introspection, or just find some other way to write something meaningful for people like me — trying to enjoy being Jewish, modern, young, and eager to learn.
Hope to see you here often!
