50Plus
50PLUS (Dutch pronunciation: ; abbreviated 50+) 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.
50PLUS | |
|---|---|
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| Abbreviation | 50+ |
| Leader | Martin van Rooijen |
| Chairman | Willem Dekker |
| Leader in the Senate | Martin van Rooijen |
| Founded | 2009 (Onafhankelijke Ouderen en Kinderen Unie, OokU) 9 October 2010 (current name) |
| Preceded by | Party for Justice, Action and Progress |
| Headquarters | Kneuterdijk 2, The Hague |
| Think tank | Wetenschappelijk Bureau 50PLUS |
| Membership (2024) |  1,515 |
| Ideology | Pensioners' interests Populism Soft Euroscepticism |
| Political position | Centre |
| European affiliation | European Democratic Party (2023–present) |
| Colours | Purple |
| Senate | 1 / 75 |
| House of Representatives | 0 / 150 |
| King's commissioners | 0 / 12 |
| Provincial councils | 8 / 572 |
| European Parliament | 0 / 29 |
| Website | |
| 50pluspartij | |
The party first participated in the 2011 provincial elections, in which it won 9 provincial council seats, allowing it to be represented in the Senate by Nagel. Under lijsttrekker Henk Krol, the party entered the House of Representatives for the first time at the 2012 general election. On 6 May 2021, party leader Liane den Haan, its sole member in the House of Representatives, left to sit as an Independent following an internal dispute.
At the European level, 50PLUS was first affiliated with the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE), as its sole Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Toine Manders sat with the liberal ALDE group from 2013 to 2014. Following the 2019 European Parliament election, which saw Manders regain his seat, he sat with the conservative European People's Party group. Manders left the party in 2020 to join the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA). In 2023, 50PLUS joined the European Democratic Party (EDP).
History
2009-2011
The party was founded under the name Onafhankelijke Ouderen en Kinderen Unie (Independent Elderly and Children Union) in 2009, succeeding the Partij voor Rechtvaardigheid, Daadkracht en Vooruitgang (Party for Justice, Vigour and Progress). It was an initiative of Maurice Koopman, Alexander Münninghoff and Jan Nagel.[verification needed] The party decided not to enter elections for the House of Representatives in 2010.[verification needed] During autumn that same year the name was changed to 50PLUS.
Leading up to the 2011 Dutch Senate election, 50PLUS made an agreement with the Onafhankelijke Senaatsfractie (Independent Senate Faction). The regional parties had too little seats in the Provincial council to collectively get a seat in the Senate, and the members of 50PLUS promised to vote for the OSF (Onafhankelijke Staatsfractie) to help them gain one. In return for this, 50PLUS member Kees de Lange would be the OSF's first candidate on the electoral list. On the 23rd of May 2011, he was chosen as a senator on behalf of the OSF. 50PLUS member Jan Nagel also won one seat. From then on, it was possible for individuals to become member of the party.[verification needed]
Electoral results
House of Representatives
| Election | Lijsttrekker | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | Government |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Henk Krol | 177,631 | 1.88 (#11) | 2 / 150 |  2 | Opposition |
| 2017 | 327,131 | 3.11 (#10) | 4 / 150 | 2 | Opposition | |
| 2021 | Liane den Haan | 106,658 | 1.02 (#15) | 1 / 150 | 3 | Opposition |
| 2023 | Gerard van Hooft | 51,043 | 0.49 (#17) | 0 / 150 | 1 | Extra-parliamentary |
Senate
| Election | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | Government |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 2,193 | 1.3 | 1 / 75 | 1 | Opposition |
| 2015 | 4,388 | 2.6 | 2 / 75 | 1 | Opposition |
| 2019 | 5,251 | 3.0 | 2 / 75 |  0 | Opposition |
| 2023 | 3,264 | 1.8 | 1 / 75 | 1 | Opposition |
European Parliament
| Election | List | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | List | 175,343 | 3.69 (#10) | 0 / 26 | New | |
| 2019 | List | 215,199 | 3.91 (#9) | 1 / 26 | 1 |
Provincial councils
| Election | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | (#10) | 9 / 566 | New | ||
| 2015 | (#10) | 14 / 570 | 5 |
Organization
Leadership
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Representation
House of Representatives
Senate
See also
- Union 55+, Defunct Dutch pensioners' interests party active from 1992 until 1998.
- General Elderly Alliance, Defunct Dutch pensioners' interests party active from 1993 until 1998.
References
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