The municipal elections in the Netherlands on March 19 saw the Democrats 66 (D66) party make significant gains across the country and in many cases beating out the ruling coalition of the Dutch government, while support for local parties increased strongly with 30 per cent of the vote overall.

Results of 2014 Dutch municipal elections

Across the country, D66 increased its vote by 3,8 per cent, gaining an extra 260 seats. It is now the largest party in Amsterdam and Utrecht, as well as smaller cities including Amersfoort, Groningen, Delft, Tilburg, Enschede, Leiden, Apeldoorn, Haarlem, Gouda and Hilversum, among others. Votes for local parties also increased strongly by 4,9 per cent, gaining a further 399 seats across the Netherlands.

The Labour Party (PvdA), on the other hand, saw its share of the vote drop by a serious 4,9 per cent, losing 352 seats. This result was mirrored by that of its coalition partner People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), whose support dropped by 3,6 per cent and 325 seats.

While the Christian Democrats (CDA) had the largest percentage of the vote (14,3 per cent), it is supported mainly in the more rural areas and just maintained its previous share, not making significant gains in any large city.

Amsterdam

Capital city Amsterdam, a PvdA stronghold for nearly 70 years, put D66 in the foremost position with over 11 per cent of the vote and 14 seats, double that of the 2010 elections.

The PvdA’s vote dropped by over 10 per cent, while the VVD’s dropped by over five per cent. The Socialist Party also saw an increase, winning three more seats.

The Hague

D66 overtook the PvdA as the largest party in The Hague, with Geert Wilder’s Party for Freedom (PVV) finishing second and the PvdA third, with a substantial loss of 10 seats.

The PVV, which had had a strong result in the 2010 elections, lost one seat, while the VVD lost three. The other big winner was The Hague Stadspartij, which won three more seats for a total of five.

Rotterdam

Rotterdam had the largest result in a major city for a local party, with Leefbaar Rotterdam (Liveable Rotterdam) taking 28,2 per cent of the vote, keeping the same number (14) of seats it won in the last election.

The PvdA was the big loser here again, with its share of the vote dropping by 15,7 per cent and losing 6 seats.

Utrecht

D66 swept away the opposition in Utrecht with 26, 3 per cent of the vote and picking up a further four seats for a total of 13.

Here, the PvdA and the VVD’s share also dropped, while Green Left also lost a seat.

Other Dutch cities

Eindhoven saw a significant rise in votes for the Socialist Party, with an increase of 5,7 per cent, while other results reflected general trends. Amstelveen and Breda remain strongholds for the VVD, although D66 also made gains in both places.

The big winner in Maastricht was the Seniors Party (Senioren Partij Maastricht), with 14,9 per cent of the vote. In Almere, the biggest party remained the PVV, with over 20 per cent of the vote.

To see results for every municipality, click here.
 

Sources: Volkskrant, Parool, NOS