GroenLinks, PvdA members vote in favor of joint Eerste Kamer faction

GroenLinks members voted to form a faction with the PvdA in the Eerste Kamer at a referendum early Saturday afternoon, shortly after members of the PvdA also voted in support of the proposal. The collaboration will result in a strong left-wing bloc in the Eerste Kamer.

At the referendum, 80 percent of GroenLinks members voted for the merger. A little while before, 77 percent of PvdA members voted in favor of the joint faction at a congress in Nieuwegein.

The merger has been a long time coming: in 2021, GroenLinks party leader Jesse Klaver said cooperation would be necessary to avoid another right-wing Cabinet. PvdA leader likewise expressed support for the collaboration earlier this year. "Reducing inequality, increasing livelihood security, and building a bright future for our children. We do this stronger together than alone, and that is why we are looking for opportunities to join progressive forces," she said on Twitter.

Both the PvdA and GroenLinks promised that their members would have the final say on the proposed collaboration. In the proposal of the PvdA and GroenLinks, the parties will choose their own senators and then work together in a joint group. This means that they will meet together, determine their positions during the group meetings and also choose their group chair together. It is still unclear whether a joint ballot is feasible, as the PvdA members would like to see.

PvdA chairwoman Esther-Mirjam Sent promised to make a "joint fist" with this left-wing faction against the "right-wing Cabinet," while Kuiken added that the country needed the "strong cooperation" between the two parties. "This is a very fundamental, very important step to make a difference."