Farmers’ protest party scores surprise Dutch election win
The Farmer-Citizen Movement (BBB) was formed in 2019 following widespread demonstrations | A new political party, the Farmer-Citizen Movement (BBB), is set to dominate the Netherlands’ upper house of parliament after it secured 15 senate seats in provincial elections, stunning the political establishment. ● BBB was established in 2019 as a riposte to Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s conservative VVD party, which sought to fall in line with European Union regulations on nitrogen emissions by significantly decreasing livestock numbers and buying out thousands of farms. 💬 “Nobody can ignore us any longer,” party leader Caroline van der Plas told Dutch broadcaster Radio 1 as the results of the election became clear. “Voters have spoken out very clearly against this government’s policies.” ● The BBB platform was primarily based on influencing the nitrogen issue, after environmental groups saw success in court cases petitioning the government to limit emissions to preserve nature before building permits can be granted. This, in turn, heavily impacted the construction sector.