GroenLinks and the Labor Party will vote on a possible merger on 21 June. The party boards wrote that on Thursday in a press release. This put the decision moment forward for a year. If the members agree, the boards will work on, among other things, the articles of association, organizational structure and a new name. Halfway through 2026 the new party would be established statutory, the boards expect.
That the parties go together has been almost certain for some time. 79 percent of the supporters are in favor, according to a survey by EenVandaag last month. GroenLinks and PvdA already have a joint group in the House of Representatives, Senate, European Parliament and in nine out of ten municipalities, they participate in the 2026 elections. Timmermans, who is in charge of the collaboration GroenLinks-PvdA and who wants to become the leader of the new party, said the parties a “partiespoint of no returnHave reached in their merger.
One of the driving forces behind the acceleration of the merger is the instability within the Schoof cabinet: “This radical-right cabinet rumbles and can fall over any time,” said the party boards. If the cabinet falls before 21 June, the boards will “submit an online referendum” to the members or who want a new party.
That is not an unthinkable scenario, because even on the day that GroenLinks and PvdA announce the acceleration, the coalition with itself in the clinch lies about a painful theme. PVV, NSC and BBB voted in favor of a motion that Prime Minister Schoof dedicates to oppose the new European defense plans and associated expenses. That while the electorate is alerted by the Russian threat and the US President Donald Trump and wants more European defense deployment.
Behind the scenes
While the coalition is divided by geopolitics, it is a rewarding theme for GroenLinks-PvdA. Timmermans-unlike PVV leader Geert Wilders-is very critical of Russia and Trump. Moreover, he has extensive international experience as Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Commissioner. If the cabinet falls and new elections are deregistered with geopolitics as an important theme, that would make a good look at GroenLinks-Pvda, it sounds behind the scenes around the group.
Until now, cooperation between the parties is a limited success. Timmermans had been brought from Brussels to The Hague before the elections in 2023 to become the leader, on the assumption that GroenLinks-PvdA would win the elections and he would become prime minister. Things went differently. GroenLinks-PvdA got 25 seats and the PVV became the largest. Timmermans was sentenced to the opposition benches, where he was not always visible as an opposition leader. Now that the discussion in The Hague revolves around geopolitics, he is more in his element, say those involved.
Last week, the Redgroen action group, which represents thousands of members of GroenLinks and PvdA, called for a quick merger. There are also sounds from the Labor Party. Veterans such as Ad Melkert and Rob Oudkerk speak out against the merger, because they fear that working with GroenLinks De Grip on the workers’ voice is even further weakened. But their effectiveness within the parties is limited.
The boards also hope that other “left-progressive” parties will join the collaboration. The door is open to “everyone who stands for green and social -democratic values.”