Netherlands - General Election - 2010
The Netherlands was a small ally making a big impact in Afghanistan since 2001. They were the fourth largest aid donor in Afghanistan. Ranked by percentage of their military forces deployed, the Netherlands was the second largest military contributor in Afghanistan - proportionally they were making three to four times the contribution of France or Germany. And Dutch soldiers were deployed to the most dangerous parts of Afghanistan. The 2007 decision to extend the Dutch military deployment was prolonged and politically difficult. In April 2008, the country was shocked to learn of the death of First Lieutenant Dennis van Ulm on the same day that his father, General Pieter van Ulm, was sworn in as the new Dutch Chief of Defense.
On 19 February 2010 the Dutch coalition government collapsed amid a political row over whether to extend the country's military mission in Afghanistan. Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende submitted his government's resignation to Queen Beatrix. The left-leaning Labor Party left the government because it wanted the Netherlands to adhere to a scheduled military withdrawal of the bulk of its 1,600 troops from the Afghan province of Uruzgan by the end of August, 2010 despite a request from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to stay longer.
Balkenende said he offered the resignation of the current cabinet to the Dutch ceremonial head of state, Queen Beatrix, because there was "unfortunately no way forwards" for the coalition between his Christian Democrats and junior partners, the Labor Party and the Christian Union. He makes clear that Labor Party statements about Afghanistan have not only put the coalition under pressure but also what he calls "the care due" to Dutch men and women in Afghanistan and "the relationship with NATO partners."
The withdrawal of the Labor Party leaves the largest party, the Christian Democrats, and its junior partner Christian Union with just 47 seats in the 150-member parliament. With no viable prospects for other coalitions, an early election was expected within three months. Voters in the Netherlands went to the polls in June 2010 in a general election brought on the by the collapse of their coalition government over prolonging the country's troop presence in Afghanistan. The Netherlands had nearly 2,000 troops deployed in Afghanistan. More than 20 had died carrying out their peacekeeping and reconstruction mission. With no agreement on extending the commitment, they began pulling out in August 2010.
The campaign was a demobilising and depoliticising one. It turned on four basic elements, which reduced the campaign to a sort of shadow-boxing, involving badly organ- ised debates and technocratic discourse. A substantial part of the electorate – some 40 per cent – had not made up their mind which party they would vote for until just before or even on election day. In the end, the turnout was low compared to those of recent decades.
When the Netherlands' elections were called in early 2010, the big issue was immigration. The battle then was largely between populist Geert Wilders, who advocates taxing headscarves and banning the Koran, and a champion of integration, Job Cohen, the popular Amsterdam mayor who held his city together after an Islamic extremist murdered filmmaker Theo van Gogh in 2004. But as the financial crisis hit Europe, voter's priorities shifted. The Netherlands had to cut some nearly $36 billion from its budget in the next five years. And the majority of voters believe Mark Rutte's liberal-conservative VVD Party has the soundest economic plan to do just that. But Job Cohen's Labor Party was in a close second place in public-opinion polls. Building a coalition was not expected to be easy.
General elections (of the Second Chamber) were held in June 2010. On October 14, 2010, a new minority government of the Liberal Party (VVD) and Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) was sworn in, headed by Prime Minister Mark Rutte (VVD). This government relies on parliamentary support from the Freedom Party (PVV). Given the consensus-based nature of Dutch politics, a change of government does not usually result in drastic changes in foreign or domestic policy.
The Liberal Party (VVD), which is considered “liberal” in the European rather than American sense, emerged from the June elections as the largest party with 31 seats, although with a slim margin. Considered the most conservative of the major parties, the Liberals attach great importance to private enterprise and the freedom of the individual in political, social, and economic affairs.
The second-place finisher in the June elections was the Labor Party (PvdA), with 30 seats. PvdA is a classic European social democratic party, which is left of center. Labor’s emphasis is economic equality for citizens, though the party has debated the role of the central government in that process. PvdA has no formal links to the country’s trade unions.
The right wing, populist Freedom Party (PVV) achieved more gains than any other party in June, becoming the third-largest with 24 seats. PVV, lead by Geert Wilders, primarily runs on an anti-Islam and anti-immigrant ticket, along with a nationalist agenda that voices little support for European integration, Dutch participation in crisis management operations, or development assistance. On socio-economic issues, however, PVV tends to be “conservatively” left-of-center.
The once-dominant Christian Democratic Appeal Party (CDA) slipped into fourth position, losing 20 of its previous 41 seats. CDA supports free enterprise and holds to the principle that government activity should supplement but not supplant communal action by citizens. On the political spectrum, the CDA sees its philosophy as standing between the "individualism" of the Liberals and the "statism" of the Labor Party.
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