Dutch general election, 1998

Last updated
Dutch general election, 1998
Flag of the Netherlands.svg
  1994 6 May 1998 2002  
Turnout 73.4%

Party Leader% Seats±
PvdA Wim Kok 29.0% 45 +8
VVD Frits Bolkestein 24.7% 38 +7
CDA Jaap de Hoop Scheffer 18.3% 29 -5
D66 Els Borst 9.0% 14 -10
GL Paul Rosenmöller 7.3% 11 +6
SP Jan Marijnissen 3.5% 5 +3
RPF Leen van Dijke 2.0% 3 0
SGP Bas van der Vlies 1.7% 3 +1
GPV Gert Schutte 1.2% 2 0
This lists parties that won seats. See the complete results below.

Tweede Kamerverkiezingen 1998.png

Strongest political party by municipality
Prime Minister beforePrime Minister after
Wim Kok 1994.jpg Wim Kok
PvdA
Wim Kok
PvdA
Wim Kok 1994.jpg

General elections were held in the Netherlands on 6 May 1998. [1]

Netherlands Constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Europe

The Netherlands is a country located mainly in Northwestern Europe. The European portion of the Netherlands consists of twelve separate provinces that border Germany to the east, Belgium to the south, and the North Sea to the northwest, with maritime borders in the North Sea with Belgium, Germany and the United Kingdom. Together with three island territories in the Caribbean Sea—Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba— it forms a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The official language is Dutch, but a secondary official language in the province of Friesland is West Frisian.

Contents

Introduction

During the 1998 election the purple coalition of social-democrats and left and right liberals fortified its majority. Both the social-democratic PvdA and the conservative liberal VVD won considerably, much at the cost of their junior partner in cabinet, the progressive liberal D66.

Political observers attributed the win to the economic performance of the coalition, including 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 SP, were rewarded for their 'quality opposition'. The major opposition party, CDA, uncomfortable in its opposition role, also lost seats. The two parties for the elderly AOV and Unie 55+ and the rightwing populist CD did not return to parliament.

The formation resulted in the continuation of the Kok cabinet, with the second Kok cabinet (PvdA, VVD & D66).

Results

PartyVotes%Seats+/–
Labour Party 2,494,55529.045+8
People's Party for Freedom and Democracy 2,124,97124.738+7
Christian Democratic Appeal 1,581,05318.429–5
Democrats 66 773,4979.014–10
GreenLeft 625,9687.311+6
Socialist Party 303,7033.55+3
Reformatory Political Federation 174,5932.030
Reformed Political Party 153,5831.83+1
Reformed Political League 108,7241.320
Centre Democrats 52,2260.60–3
General Elderly Alliance/Union 55+ 45,9940.50–7
Mobile Netherlands 45,2190.50New
Seniors 200036,1570.40New
New Middle Party 23,5120.30New
The Greens 16,5850.200
Natural Law Party 15,7460.200
Catholic Political Party8,2330.10New
Progressive Integration Party 7,2250.100
New Solidarity Elderly Union6,4550.10New
New Communist Party of the Netherlands 5,6200.100
Idealists/Jij2,5000.00New
The Voters Collective1,6680.00New
Invalid/blank votes14,435
Total8,622,2221001500
Registered voters/turnout11,755,13273.3
Source: Nohlen & Stöver, European Elections Database
Popular Vote
PvdA
28.98%
VVD
24.69%
CDA
18.37%
D66
8.99%
GL
7.27%
SP
3.53%
RPF
2.03%
SGP
1.78%
GPV
1.26%
CD
0.61%
AOV/Unie 55+
0.53%
Other
1.96%

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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

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