VoorNederland (translated: For Netherlands or Pro-Netherlands) was a Dutch political party. It was previously active in the House of Representatives of the Netherlands as the Group Bontes/Van Klaveren (Dutch: Groep Bontes/Van Klaveren), a parliamentary group founded in April 2014. The parliamentary group was succeeded by a political party in May 2014. After failing to garner win a single seat in the 2017 general election, the party disbanded.
VoorNederland For Netherlands Group Bontes/Van Klaveren | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Abbreviation | VNL |
| Leader | Jan Roos[1] |
| Chairman | Laurence Stassen |
| Secretary | Joram van Klaveren |
| Treasurer | Johan Driessen |
| Leader in the House of Representatives | Louis Bontes |
| Founder | Louis Bontes Joram van Klaveren Johan Driessen |
| Founded | 28 May 2014 |
| Dissolved | 20 March 2017 |
| Split from | Party for Freedom |
| Headquarters | Het Plein 2 The Hague |
| Ideology | |
| Political position | Right-wing[3] |
| European affiliation | Alliance for Direct Democracy in Europe |
| Colours | Blue |
| Website | |
| vnl | |
History
editThe Group Bontes/Van Klaveren (Dutch: Groep Bontes/Van Klaveren) was a parliamentary group formed on 15 April 2014 by Louis Bontes and Joram van Klaveren, two Members of the House that had left the Party for Freedom (PVV), the party they were originally elected to represent.[5][6]
On 28 May 2014, group members officially founded a new political party, VoorNederland, a classical liberal and liberal conservative[2] and eurosceptic political party.[3]
On 13 November 2014, the party announced that it would cooperate with the UK Independence Party in the Alliance for Direct Democracy in Europe.[7][8]
In December 2014 and January 2015, VNL was joined by former PVV leader in the European Parliament Laurence Stassen[9] and, leading up to the 2015 provincial elections, two provincial PVV representatives from Groningen and Gelderland.[10] On 27 January 2015 it was announced that the members of the party Article 50 had voted to merge it into VoorNederland.[11]
On 21 April 2015, it was announced that jurist and former lawyer Bram Moszkowicz would become the party leader and lijsttrekker of VoorNederland at the next Dutch general election, planned for 2017,[12] but after nine months he was rejected by the party.[13]
In the 2017 Dutch general election, VoorNederland failed to win a single seat, securing just 0.4% of the vote.[14]
Because of its election failure and lack of money, the party was dissolved by its members congress on 18 June 2017.[15]
Programme
editVNL was a proponent of small government and proposed the introduction of a low flat tax rate. Furthermore, it supported investment in the police and defence, and it wanted to limit the powers of the European Union to a free trade area, and a stricter immigration policy, the party had ties with UKIP.[2]
References
edit- ^ "Reporter Jan Roos to lead political party VNL".
- ^ a b c d "Beginselverklaring". Voor Nederland (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 27 August 2014. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
- ^ a b c "Een nieuwe partij op rechts: VNL". Voor Nederland (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 12 August 2014. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
- ^ "Warum die Niederländer an einem Mittwoch wählen". Süddeutsche Zeitung (in German). 15 March 2017. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
- ^ Ex-PVV'ers Bontes en Van Klaveren bundelen krachten in Tweede Kamer, parlement.com, 14 April 2014
- ^ "Bontes en Van Klaveren vormen nieuwe Kamerfractie". Telegraaf.nl (in Dutch). 14 April 2014. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
- ^ "Bontes/Van Klaveren gaat samenwerken met UKIP". EenVandaag Politiek (in Dutch). Retrieved 13 November 2014.
- ^ "UKIP's Euro-Party decision". Politics at Surrey. 16 December 2014. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
- ^ "Stassen terug in politiek". PowNed (in Dutch). 29 December 2014. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
- ^ "PVV raakt opnieuw Statenlid kwijt". NOS (in Dutch). 7 January 2015. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
- ^ Paternotte, Bas (27 January 2015). "Artikel 50 gaat op in VNL van Bontes/Van Klaveren". ThePostOnline (in Dutch). Retrieved 28 January 2015.
- ^ "Moszkowicz voelt zich klaar voor de politiek" NOS.nl, 21 April 2015
- ^ "VNL zet Moszkowicz uit partij" Telegraaf.nl. 13 January 2016
- ^ "Kerngegevens Tweede Kamerverkiezing 2017". Kiesraad (in Dutch). 21 March 2017. Retrieved 21 March 2017.
- ^ "Geen geld, geen zetel, geen leider: VNL heft zich op". 17 June 2017.
External links
edit- Official website (in Dutch)