Dutch general election, 1994

Last updated
Dutch general election, 1994
Flag of the Netherlands.svg
  1989 3 May 1994 1998  
Turnout 78.8%

PartyLeader%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
Prime Minister beforePrime Minister after
Ruud Lubbers 1985.jpg Ruud Lubbers
CDA
Wim Kok
PvdA
Wim Kok 1994.jpg

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.

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.

The Labour Party is a social democratic political party in the Netherlands.

Christian Democratic Appeal Dutch political party

The Christian Democratic Appeal is a Christian-democratic political party in the Netherlands. The CDA was originally formed in 1977 from a confederation of the Catholic People's Party, the Anti-Revolutionary Party and the Christian Historical Union, and has participated in all but three governments since then. Sybrand van Haersma Buma has been the Leader of the Christian Democratic Appeal since 18 May 2012.

Contents

The formation of a government coalition was arduous but after four months the First Kok cabinet was formed.

First Kok cabinet cabinet

The First Kok cabinet, also called the First Purple cabinet was the cabinet of the Netherlands from 22 August 1994 until 3 August 1998. The cabinet was formed by the political parties Labour Party (PvdA), People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) and the Democrats 66 (D66) after the election of 1994. The grand coalition (Purple) cabinet was a majority government in the House of Representatives. It was the first of two cabinets of Wim Kok, the Leader of the Labour Party as Prime Minister, with Hans Dijkstal the Deputy Leader of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy and Hans van Mierlo the Leader of the Democrats 66 serving as Deputy Prime Ministers.

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.

Results

PartyVotes%Seats+/–
Labour Party 2,153,13524.037–12
Christian Democratic Appeal 1,996,41822.234–20
People's Party for Freedom and Democracy 1,792,40120.031+9
Democrats 66 1,391,20215.524+12
General Elderly Alliance 326,4013.66New
GreenLeft 311,3993.55–1
Centre Democrats 220,7342.53+2
Reformatory Political Federation 158,7051.83+2
Reformed Political Party 155,2511.72–1
Reformed Political League 119,1581.320
Socialist Party 118,7681.32+2
Union 55+ 78,1470.91New
Centre Party '86 32,3270.40New
Natural Law Party 27,6650.30New
Progressive Integration Party 17,2300.20New
The Greens 13,9020.200
New Communist Party of the Netherlands 11,6300.10New
Solidarity Farmers' Party9,0960.10New
Party for Environment and Justice8,7160.10New
Solidarity '937,9190.10New
Pacifist Socialist Party '92 7,3850.10New
The New Party6,8250.10New
General Democratic Party5,1960.10New
Patriotic Democratic Appeal4,8450.10New
Socialist Alternative Politics 4,3470.100
Libertarian Party 2,7540.00New
Invalid/blank votes46,331
Total9,027,8871001500
Registered voters/turnout11,455,92478.8
Source: Nohlen & Stöver, European Elections Database
Popular Vote
PvdA
23.97%
CDA
22.23%
VVD
19.96%
D66
15.49%
AOV
3.63%
GL
3.47%
CD
2.46%
RPF
1.77%
SGP
1.73%
GPV
1.33%
SP
1.32%
Unie 55+
0.87%
Other
1.78%

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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. Nohlen & Stöver, p1414

Further reading