A farmers' party has stunned Dutch politics, and is set to be the biggest party in the upper house of parliament after provincial elections. &quo

Farmers' protest party win shock Dutch vote victory

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2023-03-16 14:00:03

A farmers' party has stunned Dutch politics, and is set to be the biggest party in the upper house of parliament after provincial elections.

"This isn't normal, but actually it is! It's all normal citizens who voted," said leader Caroline van der Plas.

The BBB aims to fight government plans to slash nitrogen emissions harmful to biodiversity by dramatically reducing livestock numbers and buying out thousands of farms.

But its appeal has spread rapidly beyond its rural heartland, on a populist platform that represents traditional, conservative Dutch social and moral values.

Shocked by the scale of their success, Ms van der Plas told supporters that voters normally stayed at home if they lost faith in politics: "But today people have shown they can't stay at home any longer. We won't be ignored any more."

A left-wing Green-Labour alliance is also on course to win 15 Senate seats, while Prime Minister Mark Rutte's four-party coalition is poised to fall back to 24 - down eight seats.

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