GroenLinks and PvdA dissolved as members officially approve formation of new party PRO
Progressief Nederland (PRO) was officially founded Saturday at a congress in the Brabanthallen in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, where members of GroenLinks and the PvdA voted to approve the merger and dissolve both parties, RTL reported. The merger decision had broad support among members of both parties and was expected in advance of the congress. The event mainly marked the formal completion of the process.
The merger follows the argument within both parties that closer cooperation was needed to strengthen the position of the political left. Some members, particularly within the PvdA, raised concerns about the impact of the merger on traditional social democratic positions, while GroenLinks members emphasized its climate policy focus.
According to PRO, about 6,000 people attended the founding congress, setting a new attendance record for a party gathering in the Netherlands. The previous record was held by the CDA, which convened in Arnhem in 2010 during a congress on cabinet participation with the PVV.
The decision formalizes years of cooperation between the two parties. In 2022, GroenLinks and the PvdA took their first formal step toward closer cooperation by forming a joint faction in the Eerste Kamer after the elections the following year. Since then, the parties introduced a shared election program and joint candidate lists.
The two parties have worked together in the Tweede Kamer since 2023 as a joint faction. The PvdA last participated in government during Rutte II, from 2012 to 2017. After that period, the party lost seats, falling from 38 to 9 in the 2017 elections. In the 2021 elections, the party did not regain those losses. GroenLinks has never been part of a governing coalition. The party took part in coalition talks in 2017 and 2021.
PRO reports having more than 125,000 members, making it the largest membership-based political party in the Netherlands. The party also leads in opinion polls, although no elections are currently scheduled.
At a hearing in June, several local political parties challenged the Electoral Council’s decision to allow GroenLinks-PvdA to register under the name PRO, arguing that the abbreviation could confuse voters because it is already used by a number of local parties. The Council of State ultimately upheld the approval.
