With the crisis within the Party for the Animals, the next party on the flanks of the left and right is already in trouble. It increases the chance that stronger middle parties will emerge after the elections.
Forum for Democracy disintegrated a few years ago. JA21, a party of runaway Forum members, also split up last week. On the left, Sylvana Simons decided not to continue at BIJ1 due to the endless internal arguments.
And now things are wrong within the Party for the Animals. The board wants to get rid of leader Esther Ouwehand, but many party members support her. For example, the youth department and local leaders, including Groningen councilor Wesley Pechler, want Ouwehand to become party leader. A battle that doesn’t seem to be over just like that.
The Party for the Animals has so far been making a remarkable, silent advance. The party has been growing every election for years. According to the polls, about ten seats in the House of Representatives seemed feasible. That will now be a lot more difficult because voters generally have little interest in internal hassles.
The problems with the Party for the Animals could easily play into the hands of the GroenLinks-PvdA combination. Voter research has long shown that there is little movement between the right-wing and left-wing bubbles; Voters who are disappointed with JA21 will mainly seek refuge with VVD, PVV or Forum. Voters on the Party for the Animals can actually only turn to PvdA/GroenLinks or, if necessary, D66 for clear climate positions.
According to the polls, there has already been a remarkable movement from the flanks to the middle parties lately. At least if we call Pieter Omtzigt’s NSC and Caroline van der Plas’ BBB middle parties, which so far seems more clearly the case with the first than with the second. In any case, both have many similarities with the CDA and they show a willingness to work together.
Anyone who feared the complete disintegration of Dutch politics a few years ago can now breathe easier. Apparently democracy resolves this fragmentation more or less on its own.