2019 European Parliament election in the Netherlands

Last updated

2019 European Parliament election in the Netherlands
Flag of the Netherlands.svg
  2014 23 May 2019 2024  

26 Netherlands seats in the European Parliament
Turnout41.93%
 First partySecond partyThird party
  Frans Timmermans in 2019.jpg Malik Azmani, 2019.jpg Esther de Lange MEP 2.jpg
Leader Frans Timmermans Malik Azmani Esther de Lange
Party PvdA VVD CDA
Alliance S&D RE EPP
Last election9.40%, 3 seats12.02%, 3 seats15.18%, 5 seats
Seats won644
Seat changeIncrease2.svg 3Increase2.svg 1Decrease2.svg 1
Popular vote1,045,274805,100669,555
Percentage19.01%14.64%12.18%
SwingIncrease2.svg 9.61Increase2.svg 2.62Decrease2.svg 3.00

 Fourth partyFifth partySixth party
  Derk Jan Eppink 03.JPG Eickhout, Bas-9750.jpg Sophie in 't Veld, 2011.jpg
Leader Derk Jan Eppink Bas Eickhout Sophie in 't Veld
Party FvD GL D66
Alliance ECR Greens-EFA RE
Last electionNew6.98%, 2 seats15.48%, 4 seats
Seats won332
Seat changeNewIncrease2.svg 1Decrease2.svg 2
Popular vote602,507599,283389,692
Percentage10.96%10.90%7.09%
SwingNewIncrease2.svg 3.92Decrease2.svg 8.39

 Seventh partyEighth partyNinth party
  Peter van Dalen.JPG AnjaHazekamp.jpg Manders, Toine-2558.jpg
Leader Peter van Dalen Anja Hazekamp Toine Manders
Party CU–SGP PvdD 50+
Alliance EPP / ECR EUL/NGL EPP
Last election7.67%, 2 seats4.21%, 1 seats3.69%, 0 seats
Seats won211
Seat changeSteady2.svgSteady2.svgIncrease2.svg 1
Popular vote375,660220,938215,199
Percentage6.83%4.02%3.91%
SwingDecrease2.svg 0.84Decrease2.svg 0.19Increase2.svg 0.22
Flag of Europe.svg Flag of the Netherlands.svg
Elections, candidates and members of the
European Parliament for the Netherlands
1952–1958 ECSC delegation
1958–1979 EP delegation
1979–1984 1st election, candidates and members
1984–1989 2nd election, candidates and members
1989–1994 3rd election, candidates and members
1994–1999 4th election, candidates and members
1999–2004 5th election, candidates and members
2004–2009 6th election, candidates and members
2009–2014 7th election, candidates and members
2014–2019 8th election, candidates and members
2019–2024 9th election, candidates and members
2024–2029 10th election, candidates and members

An election of the Members of the European Parliament from the Netherlands was held on 23 May 2019. It was the ninth time such an election had been held in the Netherlands. The number of Dutch seats had been set to increase from 26 to 29 following Brexit, but due to the extension of the Article 50 process in the United Kingdom, the number of seats to be elected remained at 26.

Contents

Background

Voting and election organisation

Election planning

DateRequirement
26 February 2019Last day for registering political parties names
9 April 2019Candidate lists presented to the Electoral Council
23 May 2019European Election in the Netherlands
4 June 2019Official results released by the Electoral Council
2 July 20199th European Parliament session begins (2019–2024)

Right to vote

In order to vote, a person must:

  • have either the Dutch nationality or the nationality of a European Union member state,
  • be 18 years or older, and
  • not be otherwise disqualified from voting.

Additionally, nationals of other member states of the European Union must:

  • be resident in the Netherlands on the day the candidates are nominated,
  • not be disqualified from voting either in the Netherlands or in the Member State in which they are a national, and
  • have registered in a municipality declaring that they want to vote in the Netherlands instead of in the home country (by filling out the Y-32 form).

Dutch nationals abroad, as well as in Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten have to register to vote for the elections to the European Parliament. When they register, they must say whether they will vote by post, by proxy, or in person at a polling station in the Netherlands.

Dutch nationals living in another EU member state must make a statement that they have not voted in the member state in which they reside, if they want to vote in the Netherlands.

Dutch residents on Bonaire, St. Eustatius, and Saba have no need to register, because these islands are part of the Netherlands. They are able to vote in person at polling stations on the islands.

Right to stand as a candidate

In order to stand in the European Parliament election, a candidate must:

  • hold either Dutch nationality or the nationality of a Member State of the European Union,
  • be at least 18 years of age on the day they would be sworn into the European Parliament, and
  • have the right to vote.

Additionally, candidates from other member states of the European Union must:

  • be resident in the Netherlands, and
  • be able to stand as a candidate in the member state of which they are a national.

Organisation of elections

In elections for the European Parliament, the national electoral districts play no role in the nomination. The Netherlands consists of a single electoral district. Political parties, therefore, take part in the elections with only a single candidate list.

However, the national electoral districts do play an important role in processing the election results. The principal polling station of each constituency determines the vote total of the constituency. The results of the vote are recorded in an official document and transferred to the Electoral Council. The Electoral Council, in its role as the central electoral committee, then determines the result of the Netherlands' distribution of seats.

Casting a vote

A voter could cast their vote at a polling station of their choice within their own district. At the casting their vote, they could identify themselves with an identity document which is considered valid even if it has expired within the last five years.

Participation of political groups

Numbering of the candidates list

The parties which had obtained one or more seats in 2014 at the last election to the European Parliament were given a number based on the number of votes they had received in the previous election. These totalled nine candidate lists. The party with the most votes got number 1 and the rest were listed accordingly. The list numbers for the remaining candidate lists were decided by a lottery.

Goudriaan Europese verkiezingen 2019.jpg

The official order and names of candidate lists:

  2014 Candidate lists for the
2019 European Parliament election in the Netherlands
2024  
ListEnglish translationList name (Dutch)
1 list Democrats 66 (D66) Democraten 66 (D66)
2 list CDA - European People's Party CDA - Europese Volkspartij
3 list PVV (Party for Freedom) PVV (Partij voor de Vrijheid)
4 list VVD VVD
5 list SP (Socialist Party) SP (Socialistische Partij)
6 list P.v.d.A./European Social Democrats P.v.d.A./Europese Sociaaldemocraten
7 list Christian Union-SGP ChristenUnie–SGP
8 list GreenLeft GROENLINKS
9 list Party for the Animals Partij voor de Dieren
10 list 50PLUS 50PLUS
11 list Jesus Lives Jezus Leeft
12 list DENK DENK
13 list The Greens De Groenen
14 list Forum for Democracy Forum voor Democratie
15 list Of the Region & Pirate Party vandeRegio & Piratenpartij
16 list Volt Netherlands Volt Nederland
Source: [1]

Common lists

Parties can form common lists, which means that two or more parties create a single list and stand in the elections as though they were one party. There are two for this election:

Common listParties
Christian Union-SGP Christian Union
Reformed Political Party
From the Region & Pirate Party Pirate Party
From the Region Party

Election day

Traditionally, all elections are held on Wednesday in the Netherlands. However, the European Parliament elections run from Thursday to Sunday across the entire European Union so Thursday was chosen. This is because it is the only day that the Dutch Government believes is appropriate for an election day due to it not being a rest day for any religion. Sunday is not an option because it is a rest day for Christians, while it is the Sabbath on Friday and Saturday. [2] [3]

Polls

Exit Poll

An exit poll carried out by Ipsos, as well as a forecast of the result produced by GeenPeil and Maurice de Hond based on a part of results collected, indicated that the Labour Party (PvdA) emerged with the most seats, followed by the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) and People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) with four seats each, Forum for Democracy (FvD) and GroenLinks (GL) with three seats and the Democrats 66 (D66) and the Christian Union – Reformed Political Party (CU-SGP) lists with two seats each, with all others on zero or one seat. [4] The result marked the first time the Labour Party had won the most seats of the EU Parliament in the Netherlands since 1984, and the first time it has won the popular vote in a Dutch election since 1998.

Poll

Seats

Polling firmDate(s) D66 CDA PVV VVD SP PvdA CU
SGP
GL PvdD 50+ DENK FVD Volt OthersLeadRef
2019 election 23 May 2019240406231103002
Ipsos20–21 May 20192325132300050Tie [5]
Kantar Public18–21 May 2019221515131104Tie [6]
Peil.nl19 May 20192414–514221004–500Tie [7]
I&O Research9–14 May 2019232413231140Tie [8]
Ipsos12–13 May 20193325131300050Tie [9]
Ipsos26–29 Apr 2019232512231005Tie [10]
I&O Research19–24 Apr 20193215232400401 [11]
2014 election 22 May 2014454323221001

Vote share

Polling firmDate(s) D66 CDA PVV VVD SP PvdA CU
SGP
GL PvdD 50+ DENK FVD Volt OthersLeadRef
2019 election 23 May 20197.1%12.2%3.5%14.6%3.4%19.0%6.8%10.9%4.0%3.9%1.1%11.0%1.9%0.5%4.4%
Ipsos20–21 May 20197.6%11.5%7.2%15.6%4.5%10.4%6.6%10.3%3.2%3.3%1.8%14.9%2.9%0.7% [12]
Kantar Public18–21 May 20197.5%7.9%5.2%17.0%5.8%15.0%5.9%11.0%4.1%4.9%1.2%13.1%1.4%2.0% [13]
Peil.nl19 May 20197.5%12.5%4.0%15.0%4.0%13.0%8.0%8.0%4.5%3.0%2.0%15.0%2.0%1.5%Tie [14]
I&O Research9–14 May 20197.1%9.6%8.5%15.5%4.7%11.8%6.6%12.1%3.5%3.3%12.9%1.8%2.6% [15]
Ipsos12–13 May 20198.9%11.2%6.2%16.8%4.4%11.1%5.6%9.7%3.7%3.3%1.0%15.5%2.7%1.3% [16]
Ipsos26–29 Apr 20196.5%9.3%9.0%18.1%5.7%7.8%7.1%9.6%4.2%3.5%1.2%16.9%1.2% [17]
I&O Research19–24 Apr 201910.0%7.8%5.9%17.2%7.7%9.0%7.4%12.7%2.9%2.9%14.7%1.7%2.5% [18]
2014 election 22 May 201415.5%15.2%13.3%12.0%9.6%9.4%7.7%7.0%4.2%3.7%2.4%0.3%

Results

Candidate list KANDIDATENLIJSTEN voor de verkiezing van de leden van het Europees parlement op donderdag 23 mei 2019,Oude Pekela (2019) 01.jpg
Candidate list

Voter turnout was 41.93%, higher than in 2014 (37.32%), and higher than any European Parliament election in the past twenty years. [19] [20] [21]

PartyVotes%Seats
Seats+/–Post-Brexit+/–
Labour Party 1,045,27419.016+360
People's Party for Freedom and Democracy 805,10014.644+15+1
Christian Democratic Appeal 669,55512.184–140
Forum for Democracy 602,50710.963New4+1
GroenLinks 599,28310.903+130
Democrats 66 389,6927.092–220
Christian Union – Reformed Political Party 375,6606.832020
Party for the Animals 220,9384.021010
50PLUS 215,1993.911+110
Party for Freedom 194,1783.530–41+1
Socialist Party 185,2243.370–200
Volt Netherlands 106,0041.930New00
DENK 60,6691.100New00
Of the Region & Pirate Party 10,6920.190000
The Greens 9,5460.170000
Jesus Lives 8,2920.150000
Total5,497,813100.0026029+3
Valid votes5,497,81399.60
Invalid/blank votes21,9630.40
Total votes5,519,776100.00
Registered voters/turnout13,164,68841.93
Source: Kiesraad [22]

European groups

Summary of the 23 May 2019 European Parliament elections in the Netherlands
  2014 2019 2024  
European groupSeats 2014Seats 2019ChangeSeats
(after Brexit)
Change
(after Brexit
Renew Europe RE761 Decrease2.svg71 Increase2.svg
Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats S&D363 Increase2.svg60 Steady2.svg
European People's Party EPP561 Increase2.svg60 Steady2.svg
European Conservatives and Reformists ECR242 Increase2.svg51 Increase2.svg
The Greens–European Free Alliance Greens-EFA231 Increase2.svg30 Steady2.svg
European United Left–Nordic Green Left EUL-NGL312 Decrease2.svg10 Steady2.svg
Identity and Democracy ID404 Decrease2.svg11 Increase2.svg
26260 Steady2.svg293 Increase2.svg

Elected members

To be elected by preference votes, 10% of the electoral quota is needed. The electoral quota was 211,454. 10% of 211,454 = 21,145 votes. [23]

36 members were directly elected by preference votes. Not all candidates could be appointed because either the party did not get enough seats, or it got no seats.

Members not elected, but enough preference votes:

Notes

    Related Research Articles

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Christian Democratic Appeal</span> Dutch political party

    The Christian Democratic Appeal is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in the Netherlands.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">House of Representatives (Netherlands)</span> Lower house of the States General

    The House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral parliament of the Netherlands, the States General, the other one being the Senate. It has 150 seats, which are filled through elections using party-list proportional representation. Generally, the house is located in the Binnenhof in The Hague, however, it has temporarily moved to the former building of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at Bezuidenhoutseweg 67 in The Hague while the Binnenhof is being renovated.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Democrats 66</span> Political party in the Netherlands

    Democrats 66 is a social liberal and progressive political party in the Netherlands, which positions itself in the centre of the political spectrum. It is a member of the Liberal International (LI) and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE).

    An election for Members of the European Parliament representing Netherlands constituency for the 1984–1989 term of the European Parliament was held on 14 June 1984. It was part of the wider 1984 European election. Nine parties competed in a D'Hondt type election for 25 seats.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">2010 Dutch general election</span>

    General elections were held in the Netherlands on Wednesday 9 June 2010. This was triggered by the fall of Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende's fourth cabinet on 20 February with Queen Beatrix accepting the resignation of the Labour Party (PvdA) ministers on 23 February. The conservative-liberal People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), led by Mark Rutte, won the largest number of seats in the House of Representatives while the social-democratic PvdA, led by Job Cohen, came a narrow second. The election was also noted for the rise of the Party for Freedom (PVV), which came third, led by controversial politician Geert Wilders. On the other hand, Balkenende's Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) saw a poor result, losing half its seats and dropping from first to fourth place. The Socialist Party (SP) also lost seats. Notably, the 31 seats won by the VVD was its most since 1998, and the one-seat margin between the VVD and PvdA is the closest on record.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Pirate Party (Netherlands)</span> Political party in the Netherlands

    The Pirate Party is a political party in the Netherlands, formed in 2006 but not officially registered until 10 March 2010. The party is based on the model of the Swedish Pirate Party.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 Dutch general election</span> Election of the members of the House of Representatives

    Early general elections were held in the Netherlands on 12 September 2012 after Prime Minister Mark Rutte handed in his government's resignation to Queen Beatrix on 23 April. The 150 seats of the House of Representatives were contested using party-list proportional representation. The People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) received a plurality of the votes, followed by the Labour Party (PvdA).

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 European Parliament election in the Netherlands</span>

    An election of the Members of the European Parliament from the Netherlands was held on 22 May 2014. This is the 8th time the elections have been held for the European elections in the Netherlands.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">2015 Dutch provincial elections</span>

    Provincial elections were held in the Netherlands on Wednesday 18 March 2015. Eligible voters elected the members of the States-Provincial in the twelve provinces. These elections also indirectly determined the members of the Senate, since the 566 members of the twelve States-Provincial will elect the Senate's 75 members in the Senate election on 26 May 2015. These provincial election were held on the same day as the 2015 Dutch water boards elections.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 Dutch general election</span>

    General elections were held in the Netherlands from 15 to 17 March 2021 to elect all 150 members of the House of Representatives. Following the elections and lengthy coalition formation talks, the sitting government remained in power.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Denk (political party)</span> Dutch political party

    Denk is a political party in the Netherlands, founded on a minority rights platform. It is legally registered as "Politieke Beweging Denk".

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 Dutch Senate election</span>

    The 2019 election to the Senate of the Netherlands was held on 27 May 2019, two months after the provincial elections.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">2024 European Parliament election in the Netherlands</span>

    The 2024 European Parliament election in the Netherlands was held on 6 June 2024 as part of the 2024 European Parliament election. It was the tenth time the elections have been held for the European elections in the Netherlands, and the first to take place after Brexit.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">NIDA (political party)</span> Political party in Netherlands

    NIDA is a political movement in the Netherlands, describing itself as "being inspired by Islam". It was founded in 2013 by Nourdin El Ouali, a former municipal councillor in Rotterdam for GroenLinks. The party is currently only represented at the municipal level, with two seats in Rotterdam and one seat in The Hague. The party shares the same electorate as Denk, mostly Islamic immigrants, although NIDA is more religiously oriented. On 2021, the party announced that they will stop with politics and continue further as a social movement.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Political Party for Basic Income</span> Dutch political party

    The Political Party for Basic Income, formerly known as the Basic Income Party and De Basis, is a minor political party in the Netherlands, which advocates for the implementation of a universal basic income. The party registered with the electoral council on 9 December 2013.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Farmer–Citizen Movement</span> Dutch political party

    The Farmer–Citizen Movement is an agrarian and right-wing populist political party in the Netherlands. It is headquartered in Deventer, Overijssel. The current party leader is founder Caroline van der Plas, who has led it since its creation in 2019.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Volt Netherlands</span> Dutch political party

    Volt Netherlands is a social liberal political party in the Netherlands. It is the Dutch chapter of Volt Europa, a political movement that operates on a European level.

    In the run-up to the 2023 Dutch general election, various organisations carried out opinion polling to gauge voting intentions in the Netherlands. Results of such polls are displayed in this list.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">2023 Dutch provincial elections</span> Dutch provincial elections

    Provincial elections were held in the Netherlands on 15 March 2023, on the same day as the water board elections, as well as island council elections in the Caribbean Netherlands.

    The next Dutch general election to elect the members of the House of Representatives is scheduled for March 2028, but may be held at an earlier date if a snap election is called.

    References

    1. "Kiesraad: Final candidatelists for the European Elections 2019 in the Netherlands" (PDF) (in Dutch). Kiesraad. 15 April 2019. Retrieved 10 June 2019.
    2. "Waarom stemmen we in Nederland op woensdag?" [Why in the Netherlands do we vote on a Wednesday?]. Kiesraad.nl (in Dutch). 2018-07-13. Retrieved 2019-05-24.
    3. "Verkiezing Nederlandse leden van het Europees Parlement" [Election of dutch Members of the European Parliament]. www.rijksoverheid.nl (in Dutch). Ministerie van Algemene Zaken (Ministry of General Affairs). 2019-04-15. Archived from the original on 2019-05-24. Retrieved 2019-05-24.
    4. "GeenPeil: voor PVV en SP dreigt een vertrek uit Europees Parlement". NOS. 24 May 2019. Retrieved 24 May 2019.
    5. https://www.ipsos.com/nl-nl/politieke-barometer-week-21
    6. http://www.kantar.com/public/nl/news-events/news/peiling-verkiezingen-europees-parlement:-timmermans-trekt-pvda-uit-het-slop
    7. https://www.noties.nl/v/get.php?a=peil.nl&s=weekpoll&f=2019-05-19+epv.pdf
    8. https://ioresearch.nl/Portals/0/I%26O%20Research%20TK%20en%20EP%20mei%202019%20v2.pdf
    9. https://www.ipsos.com/nl-nl/politieke-barometer-week-20
    10. https://www.ipsos.com/nl-nl/politieke-barometer
    11. https://ioresearch.nl/Portals/0/BWEBPR17_I%26O%20Research%20EU%20en%20EP%20april%202019_1.pdf
    12. https://www.ipsos.com/nl-nl/politieke-barometer-week-21
    13. https://peilingwijzer.tomlouwerse.nl/2019/05/wat-zeggen-de-peilingen-over-de.html
    14. https://www.noties.nl/v/get.php?a=peil.nl&s=weekpoll&f=2019-05-19+epv.pdf
    15. https://ioresearch.nl/Portals/0/I%26O%20Research%20TK%20en%20EP%20mei%202019%20v2.pdf
    16. https://www.ipsos.com/nl-nl/politieke-barometer-week-20
    17. https://www.ipsos.com/nl-nl/politieke-barometer
    18. https://ioresearch.nl/Portals/0/BWEBPR17_I%26O%20Research%20EU%20en%20EP%20april%202019_1.pdf
    19. "Opkomst Europese verkiezingen fors hoger dan in 2014" (in Dutch). ad.nl. 26 May 2019. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
    20. "EU-verkiezingen: opkomst hoogste in 20 jaar" (in Dutch). nos.nl. 27 May 2019. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
    21. "Opkomst Europese verkiezingen fors hoger" (in Dutch). dvhn.nl. 27 May 2019. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
    22. https://www.verkiezingsuitslagen.nl/verkiezingen/detail/EP20190523
    23. "Kiesraad: Election results by election commission" (in Dutch). Kiesraad. 4 June 2019. Retrieved 10 June 2019.