ELECTIONS HELD IN 1998
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| Chamber: | |
| Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal | |
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| 6 May 1998 | |
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| Elections were held for all the seats in the Second Chamber of the States-General on the normal expiry of the members' term of office. | |
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| Since the previous (May 1994) general elections, the popularity of the governing coalition headed by Prime Minister Wim Kok (Labour Party - PvdA) had progressively grown. This was largely due to its impressive economic performance (reduction of unemployment and the budget deficit, steady growth) and, in this connection, successful pursuit of the «Dutch model» (job creation combined with wage freezes, trimming of the welfare state) together with a policy of fiscal restraint. As a result, opinion polls favored the ruling «purple» alliance which also comprised the center-right Liberals (VVD), headed by Mr. Frits Bolkestein, and the centrist D66, led by Ms. Els Borst. Altogether 22 parties were in the running.
Against this backdrop, the campaign itself was generally regarded as lacklustre, devoid of hotly debated issues. On polling day, the personal popularity of Mr. Kok was borne out by the fact that the center-left PvdA scored a clear victory, picking up eight additional seats. The VVD, gaining seven additional seats, replaced the opposition Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) in second place. The CDA, in power until the 1994 poll and led by Mr. Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, dropped five seats to arrive at an all-time low. D66, for its part, lost 10 mandates, short of its coalition partners’ gains. In this context, Mr. Kok continued as Prime Minister and his new coalition Cabinet (PvdA, VVD, D66) was sworn in on 3 August. |
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STATISTICS
| Round no 1 (6 May 1998): Elections results | |
| Number of registered electors | 11,800,000 (approx.) |
| Voters | 73% |
| Round no 1: Distribution of votes | |||
| Political Group | % | ||
| Labour Party (PvdA) | 29.0 | ||
| Liberal Party (VVD) | 24.7 | ||
| Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) | 18.4 | ||
| Democrats 66 (D66) | 9.0 | ||
| Green Left | 7.3 | ||
| Socialist Party (SP) | 3.5 | ||
| Reformed Political Federation (RPF) | 2.0 | ||
| State Reform Party (SGP) | 1.8 | ||
| Reformed Political Association (GPV) | 1.3 | ||
| Round no 1: Distribution of seats | |||
| Political Group | Total | Gain/Loss | |
| Labour Party (PvdA) | 45 | +8 | |
| Liberal Party (VVD) | 38 | +7 | |
| Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) | 29 | -5 | |
| Democrats 66 (D66) | 14 | -10 | |
| Green Left | 11 | +6 | |
| Socialist Party (SP) | 5 | +3 | |
| Reformed Political Federation (RPF) | 3 | = | |
| State Reform Party (SGP) | 3 | +1 | |
| Reformed Political Association (GPV) | 2 | = | |
| Distribution of seats according to sex: | |
| Men: | 96 |
| Women: | 54 |
Copyright © 1998 Inter-Parliamentary Union