Rebel farmers’ parties rode a wave of anger at the government in the Netherlands to win provincial elections, dealing a blow to prime minister Mark Rutte’s four-party coalition.
The populist Farmers’ Movement (BBB), which has gained support from voters in rural and small towns, won the most seats in Wednesday’s election, according to opinion polls released on Thursday.
Provincial parliamentarians elect national senators to the upper house of parliament at the end of May.
The BBB, which was established in 2019, is at the forefront of frequent protests by farmers that erupted last year over plans to halve nitrous oxide emissions. To comply with the ruling of the country’s highest court, the government has announced plans to reduce agricultural production.
Farms close to protected areas must be closed, while others will be encouraged to reduce livestock or go out of business as government compensation.
Rutte’s coalition is likely to lose a quarter of its senate seats after its vote share fell from 40 percent to 31 percent amid widespread anger over the plan, an exit poll by Ipsos for broadcaster NOS found. It now has to rely on other parties to get the legislation approved in the senate.
Nitrogen emissions from livestock manure and fertilizers, as well as vehicle and industrial exhaust, pollute soils and waterways, encouraging the growth of invasive species that crowd out wildlife.
Wopke Hoekstra, leader of the Christian Democrats and foreign minister, said: “Politicians in The Hague, including us, do not yet understand what is happening in our country. There is a big gap, we all have to pay attention.
His party, traditionally strong in the countryside, is expected to lose five seats in the senate. Overall, the coalition should have 24 seats in the 75-strong upper house, down from 32.
Caroline van der Plas, BBB’s head of media and the only member of parliament, said that people who did not normally vote had joined the party, with a turnout of 62 percent, the highest in a provincial election since 1987.
“The coalition must take this seriously,” he told NOS. “If this happens to me, I will leave.”
As one of the 15 parties participating in Wednesday’s election, BBB is expected to win 15 senate seats.
Sarah de Lange, professor of politics at the University of Amsterdam, said the BBB removes the discontent of “left behind” communities. “They are doing well in peripheral areas of the country that feel neglected by The Hague. They are left in places where public services, hospitals, schools are declining.
De Lange said the broad voting bloc in the Netherlands remained the same but votes were redistributed. In the cities, the progressive left, led by the Greens and Labor alliance, is doing well, while elsewhere the populist right is prospering.
He said the government could get legislation through the senate by leaning to the left on some policies, such as nitrogen cuts, and to the right on others, such as reducing immigration.
However, the BBB will control some of the provinces that have to implement the nitrogen policy.
De Lange said the new party’s victory could cause problems. He highlighted the fate of the far-right Forum for Democracy (FvD), which won 12 senate seats in 2019, but is expected to win only two.
“For BBB it depends on how it is organized. Each candidate is selected and has no experience. FvD is in conflict and people are leaving.
The results will not be officially announced until next week.