Peasant protest party wins Dutch monster victory – Crypto News Aktuell in English

THE HAGUE: The Netherlands awoke to a political earthquake on Thursday after a farmers’ protest party won key elections and challenged the government’s environmental policies.

Founded just four years ago, the up-and-coming BoerBurgerMovement (BoerBurgerBeweging) or BBB is set to become the strongest party in the Dutch Senate with 15 seats.

The party rode a wave of protests against plans by Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s ruling coalition to cut nitrogen emissions by cutting livestock numbers and potentially closing farms.

The Dutch protests drew global attention and garnered international support, including from former US President Donald Trump and a host of far-right figures.

“People made their voices heard and how,” BBB boss Caroline van der Plas said when the results became known overnight. “The coalition should take this very seriously.”

In Wednesday’s Dutch regional elections – crucial as they determine the shape of the upper house of parliament – the BBB won the most votes in eight of the country’s 12 provinces, final results showed on Thursday.

Several Dutch newspapers described it as a “monster victory”. The De telegraph The headline read “Kabbboem” – a play on the name of the party and the sound of an explosion.

‘Historical’

The BBB capitalized on broader populist sentiments, including people who felt ignored by Rutte, the Netherlands’ longest-serving leader, now in his 13th year in power.

“The historic win of BoerBurgerMoving is the result of many protest votes,” wrote Marleen de Roy, political reporter for public broadcaster NOS.

Rutte’s Freedom and Democracy Party (VVD) was beaten to second place with a likely 10 seats in the 75-seat Senate, with nearly 90 percent of the votes counted.

“This is not the win we wanted,” Rutte said late Wednesday.

The results trouble Rutte, whose four-party coalition has suffered a blow that leaves it far short of a Senate majority and unable to pass legislation on its own.

Dutch media said the peasants were now heading for a showdown with a bloc formed by the environmental party GroenLinks (Greens/Left) and the Labor Party (PvdA), which together also won 15 Senate seats.

The BBB could work with right-wing parties opposed to the government’s nitrogen plans – while GroenLinks and Labor have complained the proposals do not go far enough.

‘Puzzle’

“Voters have left the government with a complex political puzzle,” left-leaning daily De Volkskrant said.

Both sides would require “substantial concessions” to work with Rutte, he added.

Farm leader Van der Plas – who appeared on the front page of several newspapers and covered her mouth with her bright green fingernails in shock – immediately promised to question the farm policy.

The Dutch government says it must reduce nitrogen emissions by 50% by 2030, blaming fertilizer and manure from agriculture in particular for pollution.

It says it must comply with a Dutch court order saying it has broken EU rules on nitrogen emissions, which affect soil and water.

But farmers say they are treated unfairly compared to other industries.

Their cause has gained traction in the tiny flat country, which prides itself on its agricultural heritage and position as the world’s second largest agricultural exporter after the United States.

Farmers have protested for months, blockading government buildings with tractors and dumping manure on highways. They also gathered in The Hague on Saturday ahead of the vote.

Meanwhile, the far-right Forum for Democracy party, which won the last provincial election in 2019, lost most of its seats after its leader hailed Russian President Vladimir Putin as a “hero” and pushed Covid plots.