Libertarian Party (Netherlands)

Libertarian Party Libertaire Partij
Abbreviation	LP
Leader	Tom van Lamoen [1]
Chairperson	Emma van Zoelen [2]
Secretary	Rody Mens [2]
Founders	Barthold van Doorn Hub Jongen Stefan van Glabbeek [3]
Founded	20 October 1993;31 years ago (1993-10-20) [4]
Headquarters	The Hague, Netherlands [5]
Newspaper	Leef je uit! [4]
Youth wing	Young Libertarians [6]
Think tank	Bernard de Mandeville Institute
Ideology	Libertarianism Economic liberalism Civil libertarianism Euroscepticism [7]
Political position	Right-wing [3]
European affiliation	European Party for Individual Liberty [8]
International affiliation	International Alliance of Libertarian Parties [8] Interlibertarians[ citation needed ]
Colours	Blue
Slogan	"The government is the problem, not the solution!" [9]
House of Representatives	0 / 150
States Provincial	0 / 570
Municipal councils	0 / 8,462
Website
stemlp.nl
Politics of Netherlands Political parties Elections

The Libertarian Party (Dutch : Libertaire Partij, also Libertarische Partij before 2019; LP) is a libertarian political party in the Netherlands founded in 1993. ^[10] It intends to develop "a free world, a world in which no one is forced to sacrifice his or her life and property for the benefit of others". ^[9] The party's inaugural leader and chairman was the controversial jurist and tax consultant Toine Manders. ^{[4] [11]}

History

Founding

The LP was founded as the Libertarische Partij in 1993 by Barthold van Doorn, Hub Jongen, and Stefan van Glabbeek. ^[3] They sympathized with the Libertarian Centre Netherlands, founded in the 1970s, and were very involved in the libertarian magazine de Vrijbrief. The trio found the necessary help through that medium to start the party. In forming it, they were mainly inspired by the Libertarian Party of the United States. ^[12]

Representation

The LP has participated in a total of eight Dutch general and local elections between 1994 and 2023, but it has yet to win official representation.

General elections

The Libertarian Party took part in the general election of 1994, receiving only 2,754 votes and no seats. After this, the party spent nearly two decades in 'hibernation', organizing lectures and events to spread its message, but not partaking in national elections. It was reactivated in 2012, and participated in the general elections of 2012 and 2017, receiving 4,205 and 1,492 votes, respectively. It again failed to win any seats in the general election of 2021, when it received 5,608 votes. In the general election of 2023, the party won 4,129 votes, again not enough for a seat. ^[13]

Provincial and municipal elections

The LP has participated in local elections in thirteen municipalities in 2014 and 2018. In 2014, it was the first political party in the Netherlands to accept Bitcoin. The party also participated in the provincial elections of 2015.

LP elects in other parties

In addition to electoral participation for the Libertarian Party, a number of members have won representation for other parties. For example, LP member Stefanie Vulders was also a member of the municipal council faction of Progressive Oisterwijk in Oisterwijk, until she split due to substantive differences of opinion. ^{[14] [15]} This seat was lost in the redistricting elections in November 2020, when Vulders and her newly founded party WIJ! Oisterwijk failed to obtain any seats. ^[16] In Rijswijk, LP member Romy de Man was faction leader of Independent Rijswijk  [ nl ], ^[17] but this party did not participate in the 2022 municipal elections. During the redistricting elections in Haarlemmermeer in 2018, LP member Erik Vermeulen from Zwanenburg was elected councilor on behalf of local party Forza! Haarlemmermeer. In the 2022 elections, Vermeulen was lead candidate on behalf of that party and faction leader after those elections. Also in the 2022 elections, Tom van Lamoen was elected to the Amersfoort municipal council for the local party Amersfoort for Freedom. ^[18]

Ideology

The party platform is based on libertarian capitalist principles such as personal and economic liberty, respect for private property and self-ownership.

Positions

• a negative income tax ^[19]
• liberalization of drugs
• less bureaucracy and regulations
• non-interventionist foreign policy
• more autonomy for provinces and municipalities ^[20]

Electoral results

"The government is the problem, not the solution!" Winschoten, 2012

House of Representatives

Year	Lead candidate	List	Votes	%	Seats	+/–	Government
1994	Toine Manders	List	2,754	0.03%	0 / 150	New	Extra-parliamentary
2012		List	4,163	0.04%	0 / 150	0	Extra-parliamentary
2017	Robert Valentine	List	1,492	0.01%	0 / 150	0	Extra-parliamentary
2021		List	5,546	0.05%	0 / 150	0	Extra-parliamentary
2023	Tom van Lamoen	List	4,152	0.04%	0 / 150	0	Extra-parliamentary

States Provincial

2015 Dutch provincial elections

Province	Votes	Percentage	Seats
Friesland	408	0.15%	0
Gelderland	1,008	0.13%	0
North Brabant	1,483	0.18%	0
South Holland	2,143	0.18%	0
Utrecht	627	0.13%	0
Total	4,661 [21]	0.08%	0

Municipal councils

2014 Dutch municipal elections Municipality Votes Percentage Seats Almelo 196 0.8% 0 Amsterdam 667 0.2% 0 Arnhem 219 0.4% 0 Groningen 867 0.97% 0 Leeuwarden 224 0.7% 0 Leiden 128 0.2% 0 Oegstgeest 117 1.1% 0 Rotterdam 405 0.2% 0 The Hague 414 0.2% 0 Utrecht 331 0.2% 0 Total 3,568 [22] [23] 0.05% 0

2018 Dutch municipal elections Municipality Votes Percentage Seats Dalfsen 142 1.0% 0 Rijswijk 344 1.6% 0 Stichtse Vecht 437 1.5% 0 Total 923 [24] 0.01% 0

Leadership

• Party leaders
  • Toine Manders (1994–2014)
  • Robert Valentine (May 2016 – June 2021)
  • Tom van Lamoen
• Party chairs
  • Toine Manders (1994–2014)
  • Robert Valentine (May 2016 – 12 June 2021)
  • Paul Schreurs (12 June 2021 – 18 June 2022)
  • Emma van Zoelen (since 18 June 2022)
• Party secretaries
  • Robert Valentine (May 2015 – April 2016)
  • Tom Wentzel
  • Rik Kleinsmit
  • Rody Mens

Membership

The LP's membership has grown significantly since 2012, increasing from 27 in April 2012 to c. 550 in the third quarter of 2021.^{[ citation needed ]}

Honorary members

Two honorary members were appointed at the 7 July 2012 congress for helping to continue the party during its 'hibernation' from 1994 to 2012.

• Paul Schreurs
• Otto Vrijhof

Structure

The party has a board, standing committees and working groups, municipal departments and a scientific bureau, the Bernard de Mandeville Institute. Internationally, the party is part of the European Party for Individual Liberty (EPIL) and the International Alliance of Libertarian Parties (IALP). Since 1 November 2016, the party has had an official youth wing, the 'Young Libertarians' (Jonge Libertariërs). ^[6]

Notable supporters

Publicist and financial analyst Willem Middelkoop  [ nl ] gave voting advice in a tweet in 2012 to vote for the LP in the elections.^{[ citation needed ]} In the 2014 municipal elections, MEP Daniël van der Stoep, from the Article 50 party, advised people to vote for the Libertarian Party wherever possible. ^[25] Author Arno Wellens  [ nl ] was the lijstduwer for the party in the 2021 general election. ^[17]

See also

• List of political parties in the Netherlands
• Right-libertarianism

References

1. "Kandidaten" (in Dutch). Libertaire Partij. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
2. "Contact" (in Dutch). Libertaire Partij. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
3. "Onze geschiedenis" (in Dutch). Libertaire Partij. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
4. "Partijgeschiedenis | Libertarische Partij (LP)" (in Dutch). University of Groningen. 27 July 2021. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
5. "Financiën" (in Dutch). Libertaire Partij. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
6. Galien, Michael van der (2 November 2016). "Het feest kan beginnen: de LP lanceert eigen jongerenbeweging, Jonge Libertariërs" (in Dutch). Libertarische Partij. Archived from the original on 4 November 2016. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
7. "Verkiezingsprogramma 2017 – 2021" (in Dutch). Libertarische Partij. Archived from the original on 27 December 2016. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
8. "2022-06-18-ALV-jaarverslag-2021.pdf" (PDF) (in Dutch). Libertarische Partij. 18 June 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 June 2022. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
9. "LP-Verkiezingsprogramma-2012-2017.pdf" (PDF) (in Dutch). Libertarische Partij. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 August 2012. Retrieved 2 February 2014.
10. "Libertarische Partij (LP)". Parlement.com (in Dutch). Retrieved 20 March 2021.
11. Zeven, Martijn (17 November 2018). "'Belastingontwijker' Toine Manders krijgt 180 uur taakstraf opgelegd" ['Tax dodger' Toine Manders is sentenced to 180 hours of community service] (in Dutch). Quote . Retrieved 19 November 2023.
12. Lucardie, A.P.M. (1994). "Binnenkomers en buitenstaanders: een onderzoek naar partijen die in 1994 hun entree in de Tweede Kamerverkiezingen trachtten te maken" (PDF) (in Dutch). University of Groningen. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 April 2007. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
13. "NOS - Uitslagen Tweede Kamerverkiezingen 2023".
14. Tacken, Tom (8 November 2019). "Stefanie Vulders, kersverse libertariër, soleert erop los in de gemeenteraad van Oisterwijk" [Stefanie Vulders, brand new libertarian, is soloing in the Oisterwijk municipal council]. Brabants Dagblad (in Dutch). Oisterwijk. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
15. Tacken, Tom (24 January 2020). "Stefanie Vulders, die huilend gemeenteraad verliet, breekt met PrO in Oisterwijk: 'Misschien politieke zelfmoord'" [Stefanie Vulders, who left the city council in tears, breaks with PrO in Oisterwijk: 'Maybe political suicide']. Brabants Dagblad (in Dutch). Oisterwijk. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
16. Spanjers, Kim; Tacken, Tom (18 November 2020). "PGB is de grootste in Oisterwijk, maar grote winnaar is de VVD die van 4 naar 6 gemeenteraadszetels stijgt" [PGB is the largest in Oisterwijk, but the big winner is the VVD, which increases from 4 to 6 municipal council seats]. Brabants Dagblad (in Dutch). Oisterwijk/Haaren. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
17. "Kandidatenlijst" (in Dutch). Libertaire Partij. Archived from the original on 11 February 2021. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
18. Lamoen, Tom van (27 May 2023). "Mijn visie op libertair kapitalisme". Libertaire Partij. Archived from the original on 28 May 2023. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
19. Standpunten – Voorwaardelijk basisinkomen , Libertaire Partij.
20. Standpunten – Democratische vernieuwing , Libertaire Partij.
21. "Provinciale Staten - 18 maart 2015 - Verkiezingsuitslagen" (in Dutch). Kiesraad . Retrieved 21 November 2023.
22. "Gemeenteraad - 13 november 2013 - Verkiezingsuitslagen" (in Dutch). Kiesraad . Retrieved 21 November 2023.
23. "Gemeenteraad - 19 maart 2014 - Verkiezingsuitslagen" (in Dutch). Kiesraad . Retrieved 21 November 2023.
24. "Gemeenteraad - 21 maart 2018 - Verkiezingsuitslagen" (in Dutch). Kiesraad . Retrieved 21 November 2023.
25. Stoep, Daniël van der [@Dvanderstoep] (14 March 2014). "Artikel 50 doet in 4 prachtige gemeentes mee aan GR2014. Daar waar het kan roepen wij iedereen op de Libertarische Partij te stemmen!" (Tweet) (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 11 April 2014. Retrieved 20 November 2023– via Twitter.

External links

• Media related to Libertarische Partij at Wikimedia Commons
• Official website