Farmers' protest party in Netherlands registers surprise election victory

A farmers' protest party sent shockwaves through Dutch politics as it emerged a big winner in provincial elections. Make-up of the country's Senate is determined by these elections.

The BBB or BoerBurgerBeweging (Farmer-Citizen Movement) party rode a wave of protests against the government's environmental policies and looked set to have won more Senate seats than Prime Minister Mark Rutte's conservative VVD party.

Public broadcaster NOS forecast on Thursday that BBB will win 16 out of total 75 seats in the Senate. The Senate has the power to block legislation agreed in the lower house of the parliament. The VVD dropped from 12 to 10 seats.

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The meteoric rise of BBB is a major blow for Rutte's governing coalition, casting doubt over its aim to drastically cut nitrogen pollution on farms, the single issue upon which BBB was founded in 2019.

"It's so overwhelming that the electorate has made their voices heard so clearly," BBB leader Caroline van der Plas told NOS after polls closed on Wednesday.

"Now is the time to take the citizen seriously. Now is the time."

The government aims to cut nitrogen emissions in half by 2030, as relatively large numbers of livestock and heavy use of fertilizers have led to levels of nitrogen oxides in the soil and water that violate European Union regulations.

The nitrogen problem has crippled construction in the Netherlands as environmental groups have won a string of court cases ordering the government to limit the emissions and preserve nature, before new building permits can be granted.

(With inputs from agencies)

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