1998 Dutch general election

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1998 Dutch general election
Flag of the Netherlands.svg
  1994 6 May 1998 2002  

All 150 seats in the House of Representatives
76 seats needed for a majority
Turnout73.35% (Decrease2.svg 5.40pp)
PartyLeaderVote %Seats+/–
PvdA Wim Kok 28.9845+8
VVD Frits Bolkestein 24.6938+7
CDA Jaap de Hoop Scheffer 18.3729−5
D66 Els Borst 8.9914−10
GL Paul Rosenmöller 7.2711+6
SP Jan Marijnissen 3.535+3
RPF Leen van Dijke 2.0330
SGP Bas van der Vlies 1.783+1
GPV Gert Schutte 1.2620
This lists parties that won seats. See the complete results below.
Tweede Kamerverkiezingen 1998.png
Most voted-for party by municipality
Cabinet beforeCabinet after
First Kok cabinet
PvdAVVDD66
Second Kok cabinet
PvdAVVDD66

General elections were held in the Netherlands on 6 May 1998. [1] The elections saw the purple coalition of social democrats and liberals (left and right) strengthen its majority. Both the social democratic Labour Party (PvdA) and the conservative liberal People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) won considerably, much at the cost of their junior coalition partner, the social liberal Democrats 66 (D66).

Contents

Political observers attributed the win to the economic performance of the coalition, including the reduction of unemployment and the budget deficit, steady growth and job creation, combined with wage freezes and trimming of the welfare state, together with a policy of fiscal restraint. [2]

The two small left opposition parties, the green GroenLinks, and the Socialist Party, were rewarded for their 'quality opposition'. The major opposition party, the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA), after being in opposition for the first time in its history, also lost seats, and also failed to secure the most votes in the country's southernmost provinces North Brabant and Limburg for the first time ever. The two parties for the elderly AOV and Union 55+ and the right-wing populist CD did not return to parliament.

The formation resulted in the continuation of the Kok cabinet with the second Kok cabinet, consisting of the PvdA, VVD and D66, even though the latter was not necessary for a majority of 76 seats.

Results

1998 Dutch General Election.svg
PartyVotes%Seats+/–
Labour Party 2,494,55528.9845+8
People's Party for Freedom and Democracy 2,124,97124.6938+7
Christian Democratic Appeal 1,581,05318.3729–5
Democrats 66 773,4978.9914–10
GroenLinks 625,9687.2711+6
Socialist Party 303,7033.535+3
Reformatory Political Federation 174,5932.0330
Reformed Political Party 153,5831.783+1
Reformed Political League 108,7241.2620
Centre Democrats 52,2260.610–3
General Elderly AllianceUnion 55+ 45,9940.530–7
Mobile Netherlands 45,2190.530New
Seniors 200036,1570.420New
New Middle Party 23,5120.270New
The Greens 16,5850.1900
Natural Law Party 15,7460.1800
Catholic Political Party8,2330.100New
Free Indian Party7,2250.0800
New Solidarity Elderly Union6,4550.070New
New Communist Party of the Netherlands 5,6200.0700
Idealists/Jij2,5000.030New
The Voters Collective1,6680.020New
Total8,607,787100.001500
Valid votes8,607,78799.83
Invalid/blank votes14,4350.17
Total votes8,622,222100.00
Registered voters/turnout11,755,13273.35
Source: Kiesraad [3]

By province

Results by province [3]
Province PvdA VVD CDA D66 GL SP RPF SGP GPV Others
Flag of Drenthe.svg  Drenthe 37.321.617.98.15.62.91.90.22.42.1
Flag of Flevoland.svg  Flevoland 25.829.114.89.06.62.73.32.32.24.2
Frisian flag.svg  Friesland 33.616.426.47.06.83.22.40.51.91.8
Flag of Gelderland.svg  Gelderland 29.023.020.48.16.72.93.13.31.12.4
Flag of Groningen.svg  Groningen 37.116.416.08.68.14.31.90.24.52.9
Flag of Limburg.svg  Limburg 29.921.324.37.47.55.00.20.00.24.2
North Brabant-Flag.svg  North Brabant 28.924.521.58.46.75.30.60.40.33.4
Flag of North Holland.svg  North Holland 28.429.212.511.59.73.11.00.30.53.8
Flag of Overijssel.svg  Overijssel 29.018.726.76.65.62.63.22.32.92.4
Flag of Zuid-Holland.svg  South Holland 27.728.014.69.46.73.42.63.11.13.4
Utrecht (province)-Flag.svg  Utrecht 23.627.716.011.48.62.63.02.42.02.7
Flag of Zeeland.svg  Zeeland 27.823.317.26.95.52.83.68.31.82.8

5 largest municipalities

Results in the five largest municipalities [3]
Municipality PvdA VVD CDA D66 GL SP RPF SGP GPV Others
Flag of Amsterdam.svg  Amsterdam 32.3
(107 065)
22.2
(73 757)
6.1
(20 214)
14.3
(47 612)
15.0
(49 731)
4.5
(14 890)
0.5
(1 671)
0.1
(319)
0.3
(943)
4.8
(15 752)
Flag of Rotterdam.svg  Rotterdam 36.4
(96 189)
22.8
(60 256)
9.3
(24 525)
9.1
(24 147)
8.8
(23 298)
6.0
(15 810)
1.2
(3 219)
1.0
(2 742)
0.9
(2 395)
4.5
(11 958)
Flag of The Hague.svg  The Hague 27.8
(60 511)
30.7
(66 875)
11.6
(25 309)
11.1
(24 079)
8.9
(19 442)
3.7
(8 035)
1.1
(2 466)
0.6
(1 365)
0.7
(1 489)
3.7
(8 119)
Flag of Utrecht city.svg Utrecht 29.2
(36 230)
20.1
(24 993)
9.6
(11 930)
15.2
(18 858)
15.7
(19 524)
4.7
(5 836)
1.0
(1 276)
0.3
(388)
0.7
(845)
3.3
(4 129)
Flag of Eindhoven.svg  Eindhoven 29.3
(30 197)
23.2
(23 943)
16.2
(16 698)
10.6
(10 874)
9.1
(9 328)
6.0
(6 153)
0.7
(681)
0.1
(114)
0.5
(501)
4.4
(4 550)

Maps

References

  1. Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p1396 ISBN   978-3-8329-5609-7
  2. Netherlands: Elections held in 1998 Inter-Parliamentary Union
  3. 1 2 3 "Tweede Kamer 6 mei 1998". Kiesraad (in Dutch). Retrieved 4 November 2021.

Further reading