Defecting parliamentarians join up, grabbing 2 house & 2 senate seats

Parliamentarians Henk Krol and Femke Merel van Kooten-Arissen agreed to politically collaborate with Senators Henk Otten and Jeroen de Vries, the four announced in De Telegraaf. They will continue together as Partij voor de Toekomst.

With this collaboration, the new party immediately has two seats in the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of Dutch parliament, and two seats in the Eerste Kamer, the Dutch Senate.

The intention behind the merger is to make things easier for voters, so that they don't have to choose between all kinds of splintered parties, Otten said to De Telegraaf.

Otten took his leave from far-right populist party FvD after an argument with party leader Thierry Baudet. De Vries followed him. Krol left party for the elderly 50Plus after an argument, kept his parliamentary seat and started Partij voor de Toekomst (PvdT) with Van Kooten, who had already left animal party PvdD after conflict in the party.