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Frisian National Party Fryske Nasjonale Partij | |
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Leader | Jan Arendz (chairman) |
Founded | 1962 |
Ideology | Frisian nationalism Federalism [1] Regionalism Separatism |
Political position | Big tent |
National affiliation | OSF |
European affiliation | European Free Alliance |
Colours | blue, white, red |
Senate | 0 / 75 |
House of Representatives | 0 / 150 |
Provincial Council of Friesland | 4 / 43 |
Municipal councils in Friesland | 49 / 408 |
Website | |
http://www.fnp.frl/ | |
The Frisian National Party (West Frisian : Fryske Nasjonale Partij; Dutch : Friese Nationale Partij, FNP) is a Frisian nationalist political party in the Netherlands. The FNP is mostly involved in Frisian politics. The Independent Senate Group represents the FNP on a national level, the EFA represents the FNP on a European level.
The party was founded in 1962 by young activists of the Frisian movement (West Frisian : Fryske Beweging ), which developed in the 19th century. [2] [3] It advocated the importance of the (West) Frisian language, culture and sports. The movement was founded in reaction to the use of Dutch in sermons of Dutch Reformed Churches in Friesland. The Frisian movement has links with the reformed Anti-Revolutionary Party; however, in the 1962 provincial elections, it claimed that Frisian interests were less important than Dutch national interests.
In 1966, it won its first seat in the provincial legislature and municipal councils. In 1995, it cooperated with provincial parties and the Greens to get a seat in the Senate, which is elected indirectly, in the so-called Independent Senate Group. Between 1995 and 2003, it was taken by a member of the Greens, since 2003 it is taken by a member of the FNP.
The FNP is a nationalist party which advocates a federal political system in which Frisians get more autonomy or independence. It calls for greater autonomy of the region, government use, protection and recognition of the Frisian language and Frisian control over its gas reserves. [1]
According to a survey of 554 party members done by the European Policies Research Centre at the University of Strathclyde in 2009, 5.05% of members identified as far-left on the political spectrum, 13.9% as left-wing, 28.16% as centre-left, 17.51% as centrist, 14.98% as centre-right, 7.4% as right-wing, and 2.53% as far-right, with 10.47% unsure. [4]
Since 1995, the party cooperated with several provincial parties and the Greens in the Independent Senate Fraction which had one seat in the Senate. From 2003 till 2011 and 2015 till 2019 this seat was taken by Hendrik ten Hoeve, a member of the FNP. In 2019, the seat was taken by Gerben Gerbrandy also a member of the FNP.
The party has four (out of 43) seats in the Frisian provincial legislative and is part of the provincial government since 2011.
The party has 49 members in 11 of the 18 Frisian municipal councils. It cooperates in the local executive of Tytsjerksteradiel, Waadhoeke, and Noardeast-Fryslân. In Wûnseradiel and Achtkarspelen the party supplied the mayor. In 2020 the party supplies the Mayor in Noardeast-Fryslân.[ citation needed ]
On the European level, the party is a member of the European Free Alliance, although it has no seats in the European Parliament.
The party's electorate is limited to Friesland, where it dominates in the Western and North-Eastern part of the mainland of the province. In rural Littenseradiel, the FNP got nearly 28% of the votes and became the largest party in 2003.
In 2010, 33.9% of the people voted FNP in rural Skarsterlân.
Year [5] | Votes | Share of votes | Seats won | Position | Outcome |
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1991 | 17,321 | 6.09% | 3 / 55 | 5th | Opposition |
1999 | 21,333 | 8.39% | 4 / 55 | 5th | Opposition |
2003 | 36,871 | 13.22% | 7 / 55 | 3rd | Opposition |
2007 | 28,225 | 10.68% | 5 / 43 | 4th | Opposition |
2011 | 25,116 | 8.45% | 4 / 43 | 5th | Government coalition |
2015 | 25,027 | 9.46% | 4 / 43 | 5th | Government coalition |
2019 | 23,662 | 7.93% | 4 / 43 | 5th | Government coalition |
2023 | 27,251 | 8.04% | 4 / 43 | 4th | Government coalition |
The party has good relations with other provincial parties like Party New Limburg with which it together forms the Independent Senate Group. [6] Historically, it cooperated very well with the Political Party of Radicals, a left-wing Christian party.
Friesland, historically and traditionally known as Frisia, named after the Frisians, is a province of the Netherlands located in the country's northern part. It is situated west of Groningen, northwest of Drenthe and Overijssel, north of Flevoland, northeast of North Holland, and south of the Wadden Sea. As of January 2023, the province had a population of about 660,000, and a total area of 5,753 km2 (2,221 sq mi).
Leeuwarden is a city and municipality in Friesland, Netherlands, with a population of 127,073 (2023). It is the provincial capital and seat of the Provincial Council of Friesland.
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The Fryske Akademy, founded in 1938, is the scientific centre for research and education concerning Friesland and its people, language and culture, this in its broadest sense. The institution is based in the Coulonhûs and adjacent buildings in Leeuwarden. Together with several other institutes it belongs to the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW). It has about 60 employees. In addition, some 300 scientists, amateurs and professionals, are active in the scientific societies hosted by the Fryske Akademy.
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De Fryske Marren is a municipality of Friesland in the northern Netherlands. It was established 1 January 2014 and consists of the former municipalities of Gaasterlân-Sleat, Lemsterland, Skarsterlân and parts of Boarnsterhim, all four of which were dissolved on the same day. The municipality is located in the province of Friesland, in the north of the Netherlands, and has a population of 51,778 and a combined area of 559.93 km2 (216.19 sq mi).
Noardeast-Fryslân is a municipality of Friesland in the northern Netherlands. It was established 1 January 2019 and consists of the former municipalities of Dongeradeel, Ferwerderadiel and Kollumerland en Nieuwkruisland, all three of which dissolved on the same day.
Anja Haga is a Dutch politician of the Christian Union (CU) who served as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) between September 2023 and July 2024. Born in Drachten, she studied at the University of Groningen and subsequently became a clinical linguist. She switched to the private sector after a number of years, and by then she had become politically active. She lost in 2007 provincial elections in Friesland, but she did receive a seat in its council in 2010 to fill a vacancy. Haga was re-elected the following year and succeeded Piet Adema as parliamentary leader. She often commented on issues of public transport and sustainability, and she secured a third term in the provincial council in 2015 as her party's lead candidate.
Auke Sjerp van der Goot is a Dutch retired civil servant and politician of the Frisian National Party (FNP). Since 2023, he has served as a member of the Senate on behalf of Independent Politics Netherlands (OPNL), an alliance of regional political parties.
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