The Socialist Party ( ; SP ) is a democratic socialist political party in the Netherlands. Founded in 1971 as the Communist Party of the Netherlands/Marxist–Leninist (KPN/ML, ), the party has since moderated itself from Marxism–Leninism and Maoism towards democratic socialism and social democracy.
Positioned to the political left of the Labour Party, the party has been part of the parliamentary opposition since it was formed.Stone, Jon (19 February 2018). "Forum For Democracy: New Dutch Eurosceptic party that wants EU referendum now polling in second place". The Independent. Retrieved 9 April 2018.Kroet, Chyntia (22 March 2018). "Rutte's support steady in Dutch local elections". Politico. Retrieved 9 April 2018. After the 2006 Dutch general election, the SP became one of the major parties of the Netherlands winning 25 out of 150 parliamentary seats, an increase of 16 seats. The SP delegation shrank over the next elections, reaching three seats in 2025.
History Foundation until 1994
The Socialist Party was founded in October 1971 as a Maoist party named the Communist Party of the Netherlands/Marxist–Leninist (KPN/ML). This KPN/ML was formed following a split from the Communist Unity Movement of the Netherlands (Marxist–Leninist). The issue that provoked the split from was an intense debate on the role of intellectuals in the class struggle. The founders of KPN/ML, with Daan Monjé in a prominent role, belonged to the proletarian wing of the , who did not want an organisation dominated by students and intellectuals. In 1972, the KPN/ML changed its name to the Socialist Party (Dutch: ). Even in its early years, while adhering to Maoist principles such as organising the masses, the SP was very critical of the Chinese Communist Party, condemning its support for UNITA in Angola with the brochure "" ('Answer to the thick skins of the KEN').
The SP started to build a network of local parties, with strong local roots. The SP had its own General Practitioners' offices, provided advice to citizens and set up local action groups. This developed within front organisations, separate trade unions, environmental organisations and tenant associations. This work resulted in a strong representation in several municipal legislatures, notably in Oss. Also in some States-Provincial, the SP gained a foothold, especially in the province of North Brabant.
Since 1977, SP attempted to enter the House of Representatives, but the party failed in 1977, 1981, 1982, 1986 and 1989. In 1991, the SP officially scrapped the term Marxism–Leninism because the members felt that the term was no longer appropriate.
Rise in support 1994–2012
In the 1994 general election, the party's first members of parliament, namely Remi Poppe and Jan Marijnissen, were elected. Its slogan was "Vote Against" (Dutch: ). In the 1990s, the major party of the Dutch left, the Labour Party (PvdA), moved to the centre, making the SP and the GroenLinks viable alternatives for some left-wing voters. In the 1998 general election, the party was rewarded for its opposition to the purple government of the first Kok cabinet and more than doubled its seats to five. In the 1999 European Parliament election, Erik Meijer was elected into the European Parliament for the SP.
In the 2002 general election, the SP ran with the slogan "Vote in Favor" (Dutch: ). The party nearly doubled to nine seats. This result was kept in the 2003 general election. Leading up to the latter election, the SP was predicted to win as many as 24 (16%) seats in the polls. However, these gains failed to materialise as many potential SP voters chose to cast strategic votes for the Labour Party which stood a good chance of winning the elections. In the 2004 European Parliament election, its one seat was doubled to two.
In the 2005 referendum on the European Constitution, the SP was the only left-wing party in parliament to oppose it. Support for the party grew in opinion polls, but it fell slightly after the referendum.
The 2006 municipal elections were a success for the SP which more than doubled its total number of seats. This can in part be explained by the party standing in many more municipalities, but it can also be seen as a reaction to the so-called "right-wing winter" in national politics as the welfare reforms of the right-wing second Balkenende cabinet were called by its centre-left and left-wing opponents. In a reaction to these results, Marijnissen declared on election night that the "SP has grown up".
After the untimely end of the second Balkenende cabinet and the minority government of the third Balkenende cabinet, the SP gained 16 seats in the parliament after the 2006 general election, nearly tripling its parliamentary representation. With 25 seats, the SP became the third largest party of the Dutch parliament. In the 2006–2007 cabinet formation, the SP was unable to work out its policy differences with the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) and remained in opposition against the fourth Balkenende cabinet which comprised the CDA, the PvdA and the Christian Union parties.
In the 2007 provincial elections, the SP gained 54 provincial legislators more than in the 2003 provincial elections and made it to a total of 83 provincial legislators. As a result of the provincial elections, the SP has increased its representatives in the Senate of the Netherlands (upper house) to 11 from the 4 it had previously.
In the 2010 general election, the SP fared worse than in the previous election, with a loss of 10 seats, a gain of 15 and only 9.9% of the overall vote. The party's popularity rose after the election, with polls throughout 2012 indicating it could challenge the ruling VVD with a seat count reaching into the 30s. The SP's popularity peaked in early August, a month before the election, with polls from Peil, Ipsos, and TNS NIPO indicating it would become the largest party with a result as high as 37 seats. However, PvdA's popularity surged in the final weeks, and the SP's lead collapsed. The party ultimately placed fourth on 15 seats, with a slight decrease in its vote share compared to 2010.
Decline (2012–present) In the 2017 general election, the SP lost one seat and finished sixth.
At the 2021 general election, the party returned to the nine seats it held before 2006.
After the 2023 Dutch general election, the SP delegation shrank from nine seats to five. The party experienced further losses in the 2025 snap election under current leader Jimmy Dijk, with their seat count almost halving from five to three.
Ideology The SP has been described as socialist, democratic socialist, social democratic, left-wing populist, left-wing conservative, and Eurosceptic. It advocates for the Netherlands to become a republic. The party labels itself as socialist,Introducing the Dutch Socialist Party. Socialist Party (Netherlands). Retrieved 15 June 2017. and in its manifesto of principles, it calls for a society where human dignity, equality and solidarity are most important. Its core issues are employment, social welfare and investing in health care, public education and public safety. The party opposes privatisation of public services and is critical of globalisation. It has taken a soft Eurosceptic stance. The SP is also opposed to capitalism, as noted in what the SP calls its three main tasks:
According to Cas Mudde, the party has an "old left" platform that combines left-wing economic stances with "left-conservative" positions on some social issues — the party proposes a temporary stop on migrant workers, and it also rejects "identity politics". It has also been described as left-conservative by Renewal, and by Ipsos. The party's program is heavily focused on Dutch blue collar workers, recalling a 'historical homeland' of Dutch workers that was destroyed by privatisation, deregulation and neoliberalism; in the same vein, the party is critical of the EU, calling its policies 'false internationalism' and accusing it of being in the service of big corporations and neoliberalism. The party's opposition to mass migration is explained by its focus on the protection of the working class; the SP argues that the Dutch working class must be protected by preventing an inflow of cheap labour into the Netherlands; party's slogan on immigration is "Class struggle instead of race struggle". In 2025, political scientist Thomas Buser classified the party as economically socialist while almost as socially conservative as the Christian Union. The Socialist Party is also regarded as a textbook example of a left-wing populist party, and is also considered populist socialist. Social issues Because of its social stances, the party has been described as culturally conservative. Political scientist Jan Philipp Thomeczek compares the party to the German Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance, classifying both as left-authoritarian, i.e. economically left-wing and culturally conservative, parties. Apart from campaigning on restricting immigration, the SP opposes climate change measures that it considers unfair or disadvantageous to the working class. It also strongly opposes a "European superstate" and demands the return of the Dutch national currency, the Dutch guilder; in addition, the party supports border controls within the EU, and advocates introducing a work permit requirement for people entering the Netherlands from other EU countries.
Given the party's social stances, its voter base consists of low-income and working-class Catholics of the Southern Netherlands, as well as trade union members. It combines its social stances with an anti-neoliberal rhetoric, demanding the end of the elite's "pillage of the state, deception, and flogging off its people to a cabal of foreign capitalists".
Economic issues The SP is anti-capitalist, and adheres to a socialist economic agenda. Its main economic postulate is "drastic reduction in the enormous disparities in incomes and assets". It proposed a maximum wage, demanding that the highest salaries of private-sector executive be no more than ten times the salary of the lowest-paid employee; in case of the public sector, SP proposed that managers should earn no more than cabinet ministers. It also postulated a 65 percent tax on incomes above €150,000, and limitation of tax deduction for mortgage interest payments by removing it for mortgages above €350,000, denouncing it as "villa subsidy". Since 1974, the party has instituted a pay cap for all MPs and elected officials. Any salary in excess of the cap is donated to the party to be used for mutual aid.
The party also proposes an increase of minimum wage, social welfare benefits and old age security payment by the state, along with protecting employment rights by allowing flexible work contrasts to become eligible for a permanent contact more easily. The SP also criticizes the presence of market force in the healthcare system, arguing for a national health insurance with income-dependent insurance premiums and no personal contributions instead. The SP has also been a vocal opponent of the new Dutch pension law calling it casino pensions, the party also has calls for the retirement age to be lowered back to 65 and for AOW income to be coupled to the minimum-wage.
Other stances The party has increased its opposition towards further armament of Europe since the 2020s, stating that Europe already has enough weapons to defend itself from any potential aggressors and only needs limited investments into its military instead of the mass-rearmament program that the European Commission has proposed. The SP has also strongly expressed its opposition to the war in Gaza and expressed support for the recognition of a Palestinian state. The party's leader Dijk has, among others in the party, called the war a genocide. Relationships with other parties