6 October 2025
Welcome back this week!
I hope you all enjoyed Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. I’m proud to say I lasted the fast. Think I´ve established some basic form of control in my consumption pattern.
This week, I wanted to leave the Jewish identity crisis at rest a bit to dive back into the modern-day issue that is the Dutch election season. As you might know if you read ¨Election season part 1¨, the 29th of October is the day we all enter the polling stations to exert some democratic power. That’s why it’s important to shape your vote, three weeks from now, into a decision you’ll feel confident supporting in the long term.
For this, I believe you need to know which parties are running, and perhaps a bit of polling statistics won´t hurt. Not that statistics alone will get you far (a strategic vote is a lost voice in some sense), but you might wonder why some parties are gaining traction whilst others are losing. And what the themes are.
Themes.
According to my favourite polling source Ipsos-publiek.nl, 46% of respondents say housing is an important issue; 36% say immigration. People can name more than one issue, so the totals add up to more than 100%.
Following these two topics are health (24%), criminality/safety (21%), climate (19%), and poverty (14%). Surprisingly, education took a gradual fall from 20% to 12% in the last 4 years.
Runners.
Many voters appear to be seeking stability and consistency, falling back into the patient and forgiving arms of the Christian parties. The CDA in particular is enjoying a surge in popularity: as of September 1st, they are polling at around 15% of the vote. Much of this is credited to the tireless campaigning of Henry Bontebal, who has quickly become a new favourite both inside and outside the political arena.
NSC, meanwhile, has basically left the scene, having clearly failed to deliver on its promise of reforming the political system. The VVD has taken a gigantic hit under the leadership of Dilan Yeşilgöz, who—depending on whom you ask—either abandoned the party’s core liberal beliefs by riding the populist wave, or failed to seize that wave strongly enough to matter.
PVV, despite not ever being able to participate, and despite most parties leaning once again toward a cordon sanitaire, is still leading the polls. However, some voters have drifted to the slightly more nuanced version of PVV, called JA21.
The left-wing bloc, meanwhile, shifts votes mostly within its own ranks: between the previously united GroenLinks–PvdA, the social-democratic SP, and the pro-European Volt. You can also practically assign D66 to this group, although their message is slightly more technocratic and economically liberal. Separately and together, the left bloc does not seem to have changed much in ranking from last year.
Source: Ipsos I&O, 30 September 2025. The box plots show the interval of current indication of votes for this year, whilst the lines below show the last election´s result.
Of course, the popularity of the parties should not dictate what you should vote for. What you vote on should be entirely your decision. But a little context, names, and numbers might help you position yourself on the spectrum. So, before my political preferences start leaking through this column, let me tell you a couple of ways on how to navigate through all the information.
First of all, the easiest way to start making an informed choice is to use the Stemwijzer (also known as VoteMatch in English), a trusted voting advice application in the Netherlands. It asks you a series of statements about your views and then shows which parties align most closely with you.
For a bit more context and nuance, you can visit PolitPro’s Netherlands Party Guide, which profiles all the major Dutch parties and gives a clear sense of where they stand on the political spectrum. And in the coming months, every party will release its verkiezingsprogramma—their official election manifesto, or party platform in English. This is where you can dive deeper into their detailed views, policy proposals, and values, helping you move from quick matching to thoughtful decision-making.
If that still isn’t enough, and especially if you’d like to practice your Dutch listening skills, the debate season kicks off on Thursday, October 10 with the traditional Radio 1 Debate by NPO. Next comes the first RTL leaders’ debate on Sunday, October 12 at 9:30 p.m., featuring the four largest parties in the polls. A week later, on Sunday, October 19 at 9:30 p.m., RTL hosts the second leaders’ debate, this time with six major parties.
I hope with this, I have provided you with all the necessary tools to make a meaningful vote. Democracy only works if we keep showing up. The ballot may feel small in your hand, but it remains the most powerful tool we share.
See you at the polls on October 29th!
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.
