Groningen is the northeasternmost province of the Netherlands. It borders on Friesland to the west, Drenthe to the south, the German state of Lower Saxony to the east, and the Wadden Sea to the north. As of February 2020, Groningen had a population of 586,309 and a total area of 2,960 km2 (1,140 sq mi).
Drenthe is a province of the Netherlands located in the northeastern part of the country. It is bordered by Overijssel to the south, Friesland to the west, Groningen to the north, and the German state of Lower Saxony to the east. As of November 2019, Drenthe had a population of 493,449 and a total area of 2,680 km2 (1,030 sq mi).
There are twelve provinces of the Netherlands representing the administrative layer between the national government and the local municipalities, with responsibility for matters of subnational or regional importance.
The Socialist Party is a democratic socialist and social democratic political party in the Netherlands. Founded in 1971 as the Communist Party of the Netherlands/Marxist–Leninist, the party has since moderated itself from Marxism–Leninism and Maoism towards democratic socialism and social democracy. The SP has also been described as left-wing populist and soft Eurosceptic, and is an advocate of Dutch republicanism.
The Frisian National Party 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 Independent Politics Netherlands, formerly known as the Independent Senate Group, is a political party in the Dutch Senate with one senator, representing several provincial parties. OPNL differs from other Dutch political parties in that it does not allow for individual membership, but only grants membership to provincial parties, or municipal local parties that are members of a provincial party. OPNL only contests the elections for the Senate and represents regionalist interests.
The Party for the Animals is a political party in the Netherlands. Among its main goals are animal rights and animal welfare.
The provincial council, also known as the States Provincial, is the provincial parliament and legislative assembly in each of the provinces of the Netherlands. It is elected for each province simultaneously once every four years and has the responsibility for matters of sub-national or regional importance. The number of seats in a provincial council is proportional to its population.
50PLUS is a political party in the Netherlands that advocates pensioners' interests with a centrist political line. The party was founded in 2009 by Maurice Koopman, Alexander Münninghoff and Jan Nagel. Since 2021, Martin van Rooijen has served as party leader.
The Provinciale Drentsche en Asser Courant was a regional newspaper in Drenthe, Netherlands, published in Assen from 1851 to 1966. It was a continuation of the Nieuws- en Advertentieblad voor de Provincie Drenthe (1823–1826) and Drentsche Courant (1826–1851). It was continued as the Drentse en Asser Courant (1966–1992) and Drentse Courant (1992–2002). In 2002 the Drentse Courant merged into the Dagblad van het Noorden, a shared newspaper for readers in the provinces Groningen and Drenthe.
The Derby of the North is a match between Dutch football clubs FC Groningen and SC Heerenveen. Since the dissolution of SC Veendam in 2013, there are only four professional football clubs in the three northern provinces of the Netherlands : FC Groningen, SC Heerenveen, SC Cambuur and FC Emmen. Although Heerenveen have an older and fiercer rivalry with Cambuur, the only game referred to as the Derby of the North is Groningen versus Heerenveen. This is due to Groningen and Heerenveen being seen as representing the provinces of Groningen and Friesland, whereas Cambuur is only regarded as the team of the city of Leeuwarden.
Bonno Spieker was a Dutch politician. He served in the House of Representatives for the Labour Party from 8 June 1977 to 10 June 1981 and again from 15 September 1981 until 17 May 1994. He was considered a member of the left wing of the party and a spokesperson for the Northern provinces.
Mediahuis Noord, formerly known as NDC Mediagroep, is a Dutch publisher of newspapers, magazines, and websites focused on the three northern provinces of the Netherlands: Drenthe, Friesland and Groningen. It is owned by Mediahuis, a Belgian company. Headquarters are in Leeuwarden, other offices are in Groningen and Meppel. In addition to three main provinces, NDC publishes and distributes also in the Kop van Overijssel, Noordoostpolder, and northern Flevoland.
Provincial elections were held in the Netherlands on 20 March 2019. Eligible voters elected the members of the Provincial States in the twelve provinces of the Netherlands. The elections were held on the same day as the 2019 Dutch water boards elections and, in the Caribbean Netherlands, island council elections.
Eemsdelta is a municipality in the province of Groningen, Netherlands formed from the merger of Appingedam, Delfzijl and Loppersum. The municipality came into existence on 1 January 2021.
Leonie Vestering is a Dutch politician of the Party for the Animals (PvdD). She campaigned against circus animals, and she was a member of the States of Flevoland and the Almere municipal council. Vestering was elected to the House of Representatives in 2021 and went on sick leave in 2023.
Romke Harke de Jong is a Dutch entrepreneur and politician of the social liberal party Democrats 66 (D66). He took over and expanded his father's ice cream catering company and served on the municipal council of Opsterland in Friesland between 2010 and 2018. De Jong became a member of the States of Friesland the following year, and he was elected to the House of Representatives in the 2021 general election.
Frederik "Fré" Meis was a Dutch communist politician and trade unionist. He served in the House of Representatives for the Communist Party from 1971 until 1977, the Municipal Council of the city of Groningen from 1949 until 1958 and 1960 until 1978, and in the Provincial Council of Groningen from 1962 until 1978. Meis received national attention as the leader of the 1969 strikes in Oude Pekela, and the 1970 strike in the Port of Rotterdam.
Engel Modderman is a Dutch communist politician and activist.
Eline C. Vedder-Monaster is a Dutch dairy farmer and politician of the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA). Born in Dordrecht, she studied mechanical engineering and started running a dairy farm in Drenthe with her husband after some years at multinational Unilever.
