GroenLinks (GL, GreenLeft) is a political party in the Netherlands. The party represents a number of social ideas, found in the various groups among the ranks of the party: socialism and pacifism (hence, Left); the party emphasises the conservation of nature and the environment (hence, Green). The pacifist principles of GroenLinks were placed under heavy pressure after the September 11, 2001 attacks, during the decision-making by the cabinet and the Lower House regarding the active participation of Dutch forces in the war in Afghanistan. Ultimately the faction approved the plans after a promise from the cabinet that the Netherlands would not take direct part in any fighting. The link with its socialist roots were also weakened as the party gradually moved closer to the centre of the political spectre; in 2004, party leader Femke Halsema announced she saw her own party as a leftist liberal party, stressing multiculturalism as a core value.

The party was founded on March 1, 1989 as an amalgamation of the Politieke Partij Radicalen (Radical Political Party, founded 1968), the Pacifistisch Socialistische Partij (Pacifist Socialist Party, founded 1958), the Communistische Partij Nederland (Communist Party of the Netherlands, founded 1909) and the Evangelische Volkspartij (Evangelical People's Party, founded 1981).

GroenLinks had about 12,000 members in December 2001, but this number rose dramatically during the period surrounding the two elections in 2002 and 2003 and the murder of Pim Fortuyn. It reached 21,000 in February 2003.

Development of the number of seats in the Lower House, of the 150 available:

1972 - 16 (7 PPR, 7 CPN, 2 PSP)

1977 - 6 (3 PPR, 2 CPN, 1 PSP)

1981 - 9 (3 PPR, 3 CPN, 3 PSP)

1982 - 9 (2 PPR, 3 CPN, 3 PSP, 1 EVP)

1986 - 3 (2 PPR, 1 PSP)

1991 - 6 (GL)

1994 - 5

1998 - 11

2002 - 10

2003 - 8

GroenLinks was represented in the Lower House for the first time in 1989. In 1998 it had 11 seats, 5 of which it allocated to women. In 2002 the number of its seats declined slightly to 10. Shortly thereafter, in the 2003 elections, its number of seats declined further to 8.

Leader of the Lower House faction

2003 - now Femke Halsema

1994 - 2003 Paul Rosenmöller

1993 - 1994 Peter Lankhorst

1989 - 1993 Ria Beckers -de Bruijn

Head of the party's election list (lijsttrekker)

2003: Femke Halsema

1998, 2002: Paul Rosenmöller

1994: Ina Brouwer and Mohammed Rabbae

1991: Ria Beckers

Rosenmöller announced on November 15, 2002 that he would retire from the Lower House after the January 22, 2003 elections; a move that was largely due to repeated death threats against him and his family following the murder of Pim Fortuyn. Many on the right had attached blame for Fortuyn's death to Rosenmöller due to Rosenmöller's repeated criticism of Fortuyn's policies and a number of verbal clashes between the two during televised debates. On November 23, Femke Halsema was chosen to succeed him.

Europe

GroenLinks is a founding member of the European Federation of Green Parties. In May, 2004, the party has four representatives in the European Parliament. They are part of the fraction Greens/EFA.

After the 2004 European Parliament elections, the number of GL representatives is down to two:

1. Kathalijne Buitenweg, and
2. Joost Lagendijk

Together with

1. Bart Staes

from the Belgian party Groen!, they form one transnational delegation.

The reduction is partly due to the reduced number of seats available to all representatives from The Netherlands, and partly due to a slight decrease in percentage of votes.

See also: Worldwide green parties and List of liberal parties

External links

• http://www.groenlinks.nl/
• http://www.greens-efa.org/
• http://www.europeangreens.org/