1994 Dutch general election

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1994 Dutch general election
Flag of the Netherlands.svg
  1989 3 May 1994 1998  

All 150 seats in the House of Representatives
76 seats needed for a majority
Turnout78.8% (Decrease2.svg 1.5 pp)
PartyLeaderVote %Seats+/–
PvdA Wim Kok 24.0%37−12
CDA Elco Brinkman 22.2%34−20
VVD Frits Bolkestein 20.0%31+9
D66 Hans van Mierlo 15.5%24+12
AOV Jet Nijpels 3.6%6New
GL Ina BrouwerMohamed Rabbae 3.5%5−1
CD Hans Janmaat 2.5%3+2
RPF Leen van Dijke 1.8%3+2
SGP Bas van der Vlies 1.7%2−1
GPV Gert Schutte 1.3%20
SP Jan Marijnissen 1.3%2+2
U55+ Bertus Leerkes 0.9%1+1
This lists parties that won seats. See the complete results below.
Tweede Kamerverkiezingen 1994.png
Most voted-for party by municipality
Cabinet beforeCabinet after
Third Lubbers cabinet
CDAPvdA
First Kok cabinet
PvdAVVDD66

General elections were held in the Netherlands on 3 May 1994. [1] The Labour Party emerged as the largest party, winning 37 of the 150 seats in the House of Representatives. [2] The election resulted in significant losses for both the Labour Party and the Christian Democratic Appeal. The two liberal parties, People's Party for Freedom and Democracy and Democrats 66 made large gains, whilst two pro-elderly parties and the Socialist Party all passed the electoral threshold to win seats.

Contents

The formation of a government coalition was arduous but after four months the First Kok cabinet was formed. It was an unprecedented coalition of the two liberal parties and Labour. The CDA was consigned to opposition for the first time in its history. It was also the first government since 1918 not to include a Christian Democratic party. [3] :194

Background

Before the 1994 general election opinion polls predicted that the Centre Democrats party could win more than five seats in the House of Representatives. However, media reports claiming that some newly elected local members had extremist pasts damaged the Centre Democrats' prospects. A secret recording broadcast on national television one week before the election showed an Amsterdam council member bragging about having set immigrant centers on fire in the early 1980s. [4] In the election that followed, the Centre Democrats won 2.5% of the vote and three seats in the House of Representatives (Janmaat was joined by Wil Schuurman and Cor Zonneveld), [5] well below earlier expectations. Janmaat claimed that the relatively poor result was a result of an anti-CD campaign in the media. [4] Due to its growth, and questions arising amongst the other parties over the development of a multicultural society, political opponents began to confront the Centre Democrats directly rather than maintain a strict cordon sanitaire around it. [6] [7]

Results

1994 Dutch General Election.svg
PartyVotes%Seats+/–
Labour Party 2,153,13523.9737–12
Christian Democratic Appeal 1,996,41822.2334–20
People's Party for Freedom and Democracy 1,792,40119.9631+9
Democrats 66 1,391,20215.4924+12
General Elderly Alliance 326,4013.636New
GroenLinks 311,3993.475–1
Centre Democrats 220,7342.463+2
Reformatory Political Federation 158,7051.773+2
Reformed Political Party 155,2511.732–1
Reformed Political League 119,1581.3320
Socialist Party 118,7681.322+2
Union 55+ 78,1470.871New
Centre Party '86 32,3270.360New
Natural Law Party 27,6650.310New
Free Indian Party  [ nl ]17,2300.190New
The Greens 13,9020.1500
New Communist Party of the Netherlands 11,6300.130New
Solidarity Farmers' Party9,0960.100New
Party for Environment and Justice  [ nl ]8,7160.100New
Solidarity '937,9190.090New
Pacifist Socialist Party '92 7,3850.080New
New Party  [ nl ]6,8250.080New
General Democratic Party5,1960.060New
Patriotic Democratic Appeal4,8450.050New
Socialist Alternative Politics 4,3470.0500
Libertarian Party 2,7540.030New
Total8,981,556100.001500
Valid votes8,981,55699.56
Invalid/blank votes39,7270.44
Total votes9,021,283100.00
Registered voters/turnout11,455,92478.75
Source: Kiesraad [8]

By province

Results by province [8]
Province PvdA CDA VVD D66 AOV GL CD RPF SGP GPV SP U55+ Others
Flag of Drenthe.svg Drenthe 34.519.818.213.92.12.51.21.70.22.41.00.61.8
Flag of Flevoland.svg Flevoland 20.117.623.617.04.23.12.42.82.42.11.31.02.4
Frisian flag.svg Friesland 31.627.514.212.52.23.01.12.60.62.20.60.41.9
Flag of Gelderland.svg Gelderland 23.824.718.315.32.83.31.82.73.21.11.00.61.7
Flag of Groningen.svg Groningen 34.817.314.214.12.84.51.31.80.24.51.70.61.3
Flag of Limburg.svg Limburg 24.528.914.814.55.43.23.00.20.10.42.21.01.4
North Brabant-Flag.svg North Brabant 21.027.118.116.35.72.82.80.50.50.42.21.02.8
Flag of North Holland.svg North Holland 24.916.224.517.24.14.92.30.90.30.60.91.01.6
Flag of Overijssel.svg Overijssel 24.229.615.412.92.12.51.53.22.12.90.81.21.6
Flag of Zuid-Holland.svg South Holland 22.218.323.415.83.23.13.52.13.01.21.50.81.8
Utrecht (province)-Flag.svg Utrecht 19.120.623.216.92.94.72.42.52.32.00.90.81.5
Flag of Zeeland.svg Zeeland 22.420.918.813.53.72.42.83.07.91.80.60.92.2

5 largest municipalities

Results in the five largest municipalities [9]
Municipality PvdA CDA VVD D66 AOV GL CD RPF SGP GPV SP Unie 55+ Others
Flag of Amsterdam.svg Amsterdam 33.2
(116 425)
7.9
(27 711)
18.3
(64 228)
17.7
(62 194)
4.2
(14 567)
8.5
(29 931)
3.7
(12 893)
0.4
(1 517)
0.1
(324)
0.3
(1 194)
1.5
(5 386)
0.9
(3 292)
3.1
(10 427)
Flag of Rotterdam.svg Rotterdam 30.8
(89 516)
11.6
(33 716)
18.2
(52 864)
14.9
(43 224)
4.5
(13 027)
4.4
(12 744)
6.5
(19 016)
1.0
(2 941)
1.1
(3 244)
0.9
(2 737)
2.2
(6 438)
1.0
(2 863)
2.9
(8 242)
Flag of The Hague.svg The Hague 23.5
(55 918)
14.2
(33 690)
26.2
(62 388)
15.7
(37 318)
3.6
(8 494)
4.2
(10 051)
4.9
(11 732)
0.9
(2 243)
0.7
(1 680)
0.8
(1 837)
1.5
(3 574)
1.2
(2 797)
2.6
(6 207)
Flag of Utrecht city.svg Utrecht 26.3
(35 357)
12.9
(17 335)
15.7
(21 143)
19.9
(26 683)
3.4
(4 554)
10.5
(14 126)
4.3
(5 714)
0.8
(1 014)
0.4
(511)
0.8
(1 056)
2.2
(3 009)
0.8
(1 006)
2.1
(2 838)
Flag of Eindhoven.svg Eindhoven 20.6
(23 413)
19.9
(22 530)
16.3
(18 469)
17.9
(20 309)
12.4
(14 104)
4.4
(4 947)
2.8
(3 126)
0.6
(638)
0.2
(201)
0.6
(645)
2.1
(2 327)
0.6
(630)
1.9
(2 388)


References

  1. Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p1396 ISBN   978-3-8329-5609-7
  2. Nohlen & Stöver, p1414
  3. Stathis Kalyvas; Kees van Kersbergen (2010). "Christian Democracy". Annual Review of Political Science . 13: 183–209. doi:10.1146/annurev.polisci.11.021406.172506.
  4. 1 2 Mudde, 2003, p. 125.
  5. "Hans Janmaat (1934–2002)". Historiek.net (in Dutch). 17 January 2008. Retrieved 28 December 2010.
  6. Hoetink, Carla (25 August 2008). "Janmaat, Hans". Biografisch Woordenboek van Nederland (in Dutch). Retrieved 21 March 2011.
  7. Lucardie, 1998, p. 121.
  8. 1 2 "Tweede Kamer 3 mei 1994". Kiesraad (in Dutch). Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  9. "Tweede Kamer – 3 mei 1994". Kiesraad (in Dutch). Retrieved 5 July 2025.

Further reading