Local parties such as ProVlissingen, ProVeenendaal and Pro Eindhoven feared confusion if GroenLinks-PvdA changed to Progressive Netherlands (PRO), but the Council of State does not agree with their wish to prevent the name change. The Council supports the previous decision of the Electoral Councilwhich already ruled in April that the name change in the national register is permitted.
Registration in the national register means that a party may use a name in House of Representatives elections and European elections. The Electoral Council rejects party names when they are ‘otherwise misleading to voters’, i.e. voters for the House of Representatives elections. According to the Council, there is no question of deception “just because there are also indications of local Pro and Progressive parties”.
Some local parties with Pro in the name wanted to avoid name changes. “Some local parties have nothing to do with GroenLinks-PvdA and do not want to,” says Dario Castiglione, who speaks on behalf of the local parties. against NOS.
The Council emphasizes that registration in the national register does not automatically mean that a party name is also registered at provincial and municipal level. If a national party submits a name for registration that is similar to an already existing local party name (in this case, for example, ProVlissingen and PRO, Progressive Netherlands), this can cause confusion. The central electoral committee of the province or municipality must then determine whether the national name may also be used locally.
The next elections will be for the Provincial Council, in March 2027. Officially, the name of the Labor Party (PvdA) will be changed to Progressive Netherlands (PRO). GroenLinks and the PvdA have yet to officially merge. That is expected to happen on June 13.
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The Electoral Council approves the name ‘PRO’ of Progressive Netherlands, but local Pro parties do not leave it at that