A political party that promises to give the countryside a voice in the face of the 'dictates' of the capital and its environmental policies last night became the most voted force in the local and provincial elections held in the Netherlands, elections with national consequences as they determine also the composition of the Senate and that with this result augurs difficult times for the government coalition led by the liberal Mark Rutte and his plans to reduce nitrogen emissions through a drastic expropriation plan aimed at closing farms.
"The Netherlands has clearly shown that we are fed up with these policies," Caroline van der Plas, leader of the BBB (Farmer Citizen Movement, in its Dutch acronym) party, told NOS public broadcaster last night. "It's not just about nitrogen, it's about the citizens who are not seen and heard, who are not taken seriously, whose problems are not addressed." With 19% of the votes cast in the elections to the provincial assemblies, according to the latest projections, the BBB will become the most represented political force in the Senate, where it will win 15 seats. Only the alliance formed by social democrats (PvdA) and greens (GroenLinks), which also have 15 seats, can allow the parties of the government coalition to circumvent the opposition block of the BBB to carry out certain decisions.
Founded in 2019, the Citizen Farmer Movement won its first seat in the 2021 general elections. On the day of the composition of the new parliament, Van der Plas, a former journalist specializing in agriculture, rode a tractor to The Hague. Since that day she has been a ubiquitous figure in the Dutch political debate and has become the heroine of the thousands of farmers who have been demonstrating for a year against the Government's proposals to meet the climate objectives that the country has set, in part derived from its commitments with the EU. The political creed of the BBB, which has achieved its best results in the central and northern provinces of the country, oscillates between far-right positions on immigration and asylum, and progressive positions on issues such as health.
The big loser of the night is the far-right Forum voor Democratie party led by Thierry Baudet and which last year became the force with the most votes in these same elections. They have practically evaporated. Nor did the parties of the government coalition do well, especially the Christian Democrats (CDA), hard hit by the flight of votes to the BBB, and the Liberals, the formation to which the prime minister belongs. "This is not the victory we wanted," Rutte acknowledged last night, expressing his willingness to speak and maintain the stability of the Government. At the center of the debates in these elections are his plans to reduce nitrate emissions by 50% by 2030, a greenhouse gas that farms emit in abundance. The Hague intends to dedicate 25,000 million euros to reduce the number of cattle by 30% through economic incentives or, if necessary, expropriation. In some provinces, emissions should be reduced by 95%.
The field, however, believes that it is being treated unfairly compared to other sectors that also produce high emissions, such as industry or transport. The Hague has already had to suspend major construction projects due to excess emissions despite the country's severe housing crisis. Last night's elections demonstrate the extent to which these debates have a polarizing effect on society. The other winners of the night were the Greens and the Social Democrats, who campaigned on the promise of forcing the government to take a left turn on the energy transition. Rutte may find himself caught between the rejection of his anti-emission measures by some and the pressure of others for a more ambitious policy.
