Regional party withdraws from national election over preparation time
The regional party Lokaal Brabant will not participate in the upcoming Tweede Kamer elections on October 29. Members voted against the party board’s proposal during a congress in Chaam, saying the preparation time was too short, NOS reported.
Lokaal Brabant had hoped to represent the interests of Noord-Brabant in The Hague. “There are 2.6 million people living in Brabant, and there are now only eight Brabant MPs. That’s far too few,” party chair John van Gorp said previously. However, party members felt the timeline was unrealistic and want to prepare for a future run instead.
Meanwhile, the Frisian party FNP plans to take part in the national elections and aims to be on ballots across the Netherlands. Aant Jelle Soepboer, who served in the Tweede Kamer for NSC until he resigned his seat last month, will lead the party.
The FNP, founded in 1962, is currently active in regional, local, water board, and European politics. The party is targeting two national seats and plans to campaign beyond Friesland in regions such as Twente and Limburg. “To reach that goal, we need more voters than ever before,” spokesperson Peter Boomsma told NOS. FNP members will vote in four weeks on whether to finalize the registration.
Lokaal Brabant was established in 2014 by several local parties and now includes around 25 affiliated groups. The party holds four seats in the Provinciale Staten and is part of the governing coalition in Noord-Brabant.
Tilburg university lecturer Julien van Ostaaijen, who researches local parties, said it’s not entirely clear why more regional parties are eyeing national politics now. “But they’ve seen there’s space for dissenting voices to win votes,” he told NOS. He rejected the common criticism that regional parties don’t belong in national politics. “National parties like VVD also represent a segment of society—higher-income people. Just like 50PLUS focuses on a specific generation. These parties represent partial interests too, but believe they serve the general good.”
New parties have until Monday to register with the Kiesraad. If all requirements are met, they will be listed on the ballot with their name and logo. So far, nearly ten new parties have applied, including Partij Beer, which advocates electoral reform, and Vrij Verbond, a right-wing progressive party.
