Thousands of GroenLinks & PvdA members want parties to fully merge
Approximately “10,000 members and sympathizers” of the influential RoodGroen action group want GroenLinks and PvdA to merge immediately, spokesperson Frank de Wolde told the Volkskrant. There is great urgency for the left-wing parties to close ranks because “the world is on fire” and “the current Cabinet is on the verge of collapse,” he said. “There has been enough talk. It is time to make decisions.”
The boards of the two left-wing parties announced that members would formally vote on a possible merger in the autumn of 2026. But under pressure from groups like RoodGroen, the party boards are now looking at “scenarios” to accelerate this process, according to the newspaper. More details are expected at the joint party congress in June.
RoodGroen is done with waiting. “We want to make a decision now,” Van de Wolde said. “The left must provide clarity to the voters: from now on, we are together. That clarity is now even more urgently needed. The world is on fire. The Cabinet is about to collapse. On the left, we must close ranks to become stronger together and offer a stable alternative.”
In practice, the parliamentary factions of the two left-wing parties have already merged. They participated in the 2022 parliamentary election together, winning 25 seats and becoming the second-largest party after the far-right PVV. The combined party won eight more seats than the two separate parties won in the previous election. Almost 90 percent of the local factions of the left-wing parties will also jointly participate in the municipal elections next year.
The downside of a merger is that left-wing voters will have slightly less nuance in their choices. There is also the chance that centrist and right-wing parties will be less willing to cooperate with the left-wing party in future governments.
