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Concept
Democrats 66
Summary
Democrats 66 (Democraten 66; abbreviated D66, ˌdeː zɛsə(n)ˈzɛstəx) is a social liberal political party in the Netherlands, which positions itself in the centre of the political spectrum. It is a member of the Liberal International (LI) and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE).
The name of the party refers to its year of foundation, 1966. Initially, its main objective had been to democratise the Dutch political system, but it developed a broader social liberal ideology over time. In the 1967 general election, the party won 7 out of 150 seats in the House of Representatives. No new party had ever gained that many seats before. The party was in government from 1973 to 1977, 1981 to 1982, 1994 to 2002, 2003 to 2006 and 2017 to present. It currently holds 24 seats in the House of Representatives, 7 seats in the Senate and 2 seats in the European Parliament.
D66 is especially popular among people who hold a university degree, and its voters are mostly concentrated in larger cities and in municipalities with an above-average number of wealthy residents. The party supplies a relatively large proportion of mayors, who are appointed rather than elected.
It has a progressive agenda on social issues (LGBT rights, gender equality, etc.) and a conservative agenda on economic issues (economic liberalism, restricted social welfare system, etc.)
Currently, the party is led by Sigrid Kaag, who was elected party leader on 4 September 2020. Annelien Bredenoord, Jan Paternotte and Samira Rafaela are serving as the party's parliamentary leaders in the Senate, the House of Representatives and the European Parliament respectively.
At its foundation, the party was called Democrats '66 (Democraten '66, abbreviated D'66). The name referred to the party's goal of radical democratisation and to the year of foundation, which was supposed to convey a modern image. In 1981, the apostrophe was dropped: the name had become a successful political brand, but the year no longer conveyed a modern image.
Official source
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