1994 Dutch general election
{{Short description|none}}
{{Infobox legislative election
| election_name = 1994 Dutch general election
| country = Netherlands
| previous_election = 1989
| next_election = 1998
| seats_for_election = All 150 seats in the House of Representatives
| majority_seats = 76
| election_date = 3 May 1994
| turnout = 78.8% ({{decrease}} 1.5 pp)
| leader1 = Wim Kok
| party1 = Labour Party (Netherlands)
| last_election1 = 49
| seats1 = 37
| percentage1 = 24.0%
| leader2 = Elco Brinkman
| party2 = Christian Democratic Appeal
| last_election2 = 54
| seats2 = 34
| percentage2 = 22.2%
| leader3 = Frits Bolkestein
| party3 = People's Party for Freedom and Democracy
| last_election3 = 22
| seats3 = 31
| percentage3 = 20.0%
| leader4 = Hans van Mierlo
| party4 = Democrats 66
| last_election4 = 12
| seats4 = 24
| percentage4 = 15.5%
| leader5 = Jet Nijpels
| party5 = General Elderly Alliance
| last_election5 = new
| seats5 = 6
| percentage5 = 3.6%
| leader6 = Ina Brouwer • Mohamed Rabbae
| party6 = GreenLeft
| last_election6 = 6
| seats6 = 5
| percentage6 = 3.5%
| leader7 = Hans Janmaat
| party7 = Centre Democrats (Netherlands)
| last_election7 = 1
| seats7 = 3
| percentage7 = 2.5%
| leader8 = Leen van Dijke
| party8 = Reformatory Political Federation
| last_election8 = 1
| seats8 = 3
| percentage8 = 1.8%
| leader9 = Bas van der Vlies
| party9 = Reformed Political Party
| last_election9 = 3
| seats9 = 2
| percentage9 = 1.7%
| leader10 = Gert Schutte
| party10 = Reformed Political League
| last_election10 = 2
| seats10 = 2
| percentage10 = 1.3%
| leader11 = Jan Marijnissen
| party11 = Socialist Party (Netherlands)
| last_election11 = 0
| seats11 = 2
| percentage11 = 1.3%
| leader12 = Bertus Leerkes
| party12 = Union 55+
| last_election12 = 0
| seats12 = 1
| percentage12 = 0.9%
| map = Tweede Kamerverkiezingen 1994.png
| map_caption = Most voted-for party by municipality
| title = Cabinet
| before_election = Third Lubbers cabinet
| after_election = First Kok cabinet
}}
General elections were held in the Netherlands on 3 May 1994.Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p1396 {{ISBN|978-3-8329-5609-7}} The Labour Party emerged as the largest party, winning 37 of the 150 seats in the House of Representatives.Nohlen & Stöver, p1414 The election resulted in significant losses for both the Labour Party and the Christian Democratic Appeal. The two liberal parties, People's Party for Freedom and Democracy and Democrats 66 made large gains, whilst two pro-elderly parties and the Socialist Party all passed the electoral threshold to win seats.
The formation of a government coalition was arduous but after four months the First Kok cabinet was formed. It was an unprecedented coalition of the two liberal parties and Labour. The CDA was consigned to opposition for the first time in its history. It was also the first government since 1918 not to include a Christian Democratic party.{{cite journal |author1=Stathis Kalyvas |author2=Kees van Kersbergen |author1-link=Stathis Kalyvas |title=Christian Democracy |journal=Annual Review of Political Science |date=2010 |volume=13 |pages=183-209 |doi=10.1146/annurev.polisci.11.021406.172506}}{{rp|194}}
Background
Before the 1994 general election opinion polls predicted that the Centre Democrats party could win more than five seats in the House of Representatives. However, media reports claiming that some newly elected local members had extremist pasts damaged the Centre Democrats' prospects. A secret recording broadcast on national television one week before the election showed an Amsterdam council member bragging about having set immigrant centers on fire in the early 1980s. In the election that followed, the Centre Democrats won 2.5% of the vote and three seats in the House of Representatives (Janmaat was joined by Wil Schuurman and Cor Zonneveld),{{cite web|url=http://historiek.net/algemeen/hans-janmaat-1934-2002-0214|work=Historiek.net|title=Hans Janmaat (1934–2002)|date=17 January 2008|access-date=28 December 2010|language=Dutch}} well below earlier expectations. Janmaat claimed that the relatively poor result was a result of an anti-CD campaign in the media.Mudde, 2003, p. 125. Due to its growth, and questions arising amongst the other parties over the development of a multicultural society, political opponents began to confront the Centre Democrats directly rather than maintain a strict cordon sanitaire around it.{{cite web | url= http://www.inghist.nl/Onderzoek/Projecten/BWN/lemmata/bwn6/janmaat | work= Biografisch Woordenboek van Nederland |language=Dutch| title = Janmaat, Hans | access-date=21 March 2011|first=Carla|last=Hoetink|date=25 August 2008}}Lucardie, 1998, p. 121.
Results
{{Election results
|image=File:1994 Dutch General Election.svg
|party1=Labour Party|votes1=2153135|seats1=37|sc1=–12
|party2=Christian Democratic Appeal|votes2=1996418|seats2=34|sc2=–20
|party3=People's Party for Freedom and Democracy|votes3=1792401|seats3=31|sc3=+9
|party4=Democrats 66|votes4=1391202|seats4=24|sc4=+12
|party5=General Elderly Alliance|votes5=326401|seats5=6|sc5=New
|party6=GroenLinks|votes6=311399|seats6=5|sc6=–1
|party7=Centre Democrats|votes7=220734|seats7=3|sc7=+2
|party8=Reformatory Political Federation|votes8=158705|seats8=3|sc8=+2
|party9=Reformed Political Party|votes9=155251|seats9=2|sc9=–1
|party10=Reformed Political League|votes10=119158|seats10=2|sc10=0
|party11=Socialist Party|votes11=118768|seats11=2|sc11=+2
|party12=Union 55+|votes12=78147|seats12=1|sc12=New
|party13=Centre Party '86|votes13=32327|seats13=0|sc13=New
|party14=Natural Law Party|votes14=27665|seats14=0|sc14=New
|party15={{ill|Free Indian Party|nl|Vrije Indische Partij}}|votes15=17230|seats15=0|sc15=New
|party16=The Greens|votes16=13902|seats16=0|sc16=0
|party17=New Communist Party of the Netherlands|votes17=11630|seats17=0|sc17=New
|party18=Solidarity Farmers' Party|votes18=9096|seats18=0|sc18=New
|party19={{ill|Party for Environment and Justice|nl|Partij voor Milieu en Recht}}|votes19=8716|seats19=0|sc19=New
|party20=Solidarity '93|votes20=7919|seats20=0|sc20=New
|party21=Pacifist Socialist Party '92|votes21=7385|seats21=0|sc21=New
|party22={{ill|New Party (Netherlands)|nl|De Nieuwe Partij|lt=New Party}}|votes22=6825|seats22=0|sc22=New
|party23=General Democratic Party|votes23=5196|seats23=0|sc23=New
|party24=Patriotic Democratic Appeal|votes24=4845|seats24=0|sc24=New
|party25=Socialist Alternative Politics|votes25=4347|seats25=0|sc25=0
|party26=Libertarian Party|votes26=2754|seats26=0|sc26=New
|invalid=39727
|total_sc=0
|electorate=11455924
}}
=By province=
| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;font-size:90%;line-height:14px"
|+ Results by province{{cite web |url=https://www.verkiezingsuitslagen.nl/verkiezingen/detail/TK19940503 |title=Tweede Kamer 3 mei 1994 |website=Kiesraad |language=Dutch |accessdate=4 November 2021}} |
| style="height:40px;"
! rowspan="2"| Province ! style="width:40px;"| PvdA ! style="width:40px;"| CDA ! style="width:40px;"| VVD ! style="width:40px;"| D66 ! style="width:40px;"| AOV ! style="width:40px;"| GL ! style="width:40px;"| CD ! style="width:40px;"| RPF ! style="width:40px;"| SGP ! style="width:40px;"| GPV ! style="width:40px;"| SP ! style="width:40px;"| U55+ ! style="width:40px;" rowspan="2"| Others |
| style="background:{{party color|Labour Party (Netherlands)}};"|
! style="background:{{party color|Christian Democratic Appeal}};"| ! style="background:{{party color|People's Party for Freedom and Democracy}};"| ! style="background:{{party color|Democrats 66}};"| ! style="background:{{party color|General Elderly Alliance}};"| ! style="background:{{party color|GroenLinks}};"| ! style="background:{{party color|Centre Democrats (Netherlands)}};"| ! style="background:{{party color|Reformatory Political Federation}};"| ! style="background:{{party color|Reformed Political Party}};"| ! style="background:{{party color|Reformed Political League}};"| ! style="background:{{party color|Socialist Party (Netherlands)}};"| ! style="background:{{party color|Union 55+}};"| |
|---|
| align="left"| {{flag|Drenthe}}
| style="background:#F6C5C1;"|34.5 | 19.8 | 18.2 | 13.9 | 2.1 | 2.5 | 1.2 | 1.7 | 0.2 | 2.4 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 1.8 |
| align="left"| {{flag|Flevoland}}
| 20.1 | 17.6 | style="background:#CED7FD;"| 23.6 | 17.0 | 4.2 | 3.1 | 2.4 | 2.8 | 2.4 | 2.1 | 1.3 | 1.0 | 2.4 |
| align="left"| {{flag|Friesland}}
| style="background:#F6C5C1;"|31.6 | 27.5 | 14.2 | 12.5 | 2.2 | 3.0 | 1.1 | 2.6 | 0.6 | 2.2 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 1.9 |
| align="left"| {{flag|Gelderland}}
| 23.8 | style="background:#BADBD3;"| 24.7 | 18.3 | 15.3 | 2.8 | 3.3 | 1.8 | 2.7 | 3.2 | 1.1 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 1.7 |
| align="left"| {{flag|Groningen}}
| style="background:#F6C5C1;"|34.8 | 17.3 | 14.2 | 14.1 | 2.8 | 4.5 | 1.3 | 1.8 | 0.2 | 4.5 | 1.7 | 0.6 | 1.3 |
| align="left"| {{flag|Limburg (Netherlands)|name=Limburg}}
| 24.5 | style="background:#BADBD3;"| 28.9 | 14.8 | 14.5 | 5.4 | 3.2 | 3.0 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 2.2 | 1.0 | 1.4 |
| align="left"| {{flag|North Brabant}}
| 21.0 | style="background:#BADBD3;"| 27.1 | 18.1 | 16.3 | 5.7 | 2.8 | 2.8 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 2.2 | 1.0 | 2.8 |
| align="left"| {{flag|North Holland}}
| style="background:#F6C5C1;"|24.9 | 16.2 | 24.5 | 17.2 | 4.1 | 4.9 | 2.3 | 0.9 | 0.3 | 0.6 | 0.9 | 1.0 | 1.6 |
| align="left"| {{flag|Overijssel}}
| 24.2 | style="background:#BADBD3;"| 29.6 | 15.4 | 12.9 | 2.1 | 2.5 | 1.5 | 3.2 | 2.1 | 2.9 | 0.8 | 1.2 | 1.6 |
| align="left"| {{flag|South Holland}}
| 22.2 | 18.3 | style="background:#CED7FD;"| 23.4 | 15.8 | 3.2 | 3.1 | 3.5 | 2.1 | 3.0 | 1.2 | 1.5 | 0.8 | 1.8 |
| align="left"| {{flag|Utrecht}}
| 19.1 | 20.6 | style="background:#CED7FD;"| 23.2 | 16.9 | 2.9 | 4.7 | 2.4 | 2.5 | 2.3 | 2.0 | 0.9 | 0.8 | 1.5 |
| align="left"| {{flag|Zeeland}}
| style="background:#F6C5C1;"| 22.4 | 20.9 | 18.8 | 13.5 | 3.7 | 2.4 | 2.8 | 3.0 | 7.9 | 1.8 | 0.6 | 0.9 | 2.2 |
References
{{reflist}}
Further reading
- Irwin, Galen A. "The Dutch Parliamentary Election of 1994," Electoral Studies (1995) 14#1 pp. 72–77
{{Dutch elections}}