VVD
| Volkspartij voor Vrijheid en Democratie | |
|---|---|
| |
| Party leader | Mark Rutte |
| Parliamentary leader | |
| Founded | January 24, 1948 |
| Headquarters | |
| Political ideology | Liberalism, Globalism |
| Political position | Fiscal:Centre-right, Social:Centre-left |
| International affiliation | Liberal International |
| Color(s) | Blue and orange |
| Website | www.vvd.nl |
VVD (Dutch: Volkspartij voor Vrijheid en Democratie, lit. People's Party for Freedom and Democracy) is a Dutch globalist political party. It is historically a strong supporter of Free Enterprise, however it currently takes multiple left-wing stances on social issues and is a great supporter of the socialist European Union.[1][2] It is not connected with any church.
VVD wants everyone to have equal opportunities for development but, at the same time, it believes that those who earn more through hard work and those who develop their talents or take more responsibility upon themselves, should be better rewarded.
The VVD was founded in 1948 from the remnants of previous liberal parties, including the Liberale Staatspartij (Liberal National Party), also known as De Vrijheidsbond (Freedom League), the Vrijzinnig Democratische Bond (Liberal Democratic League) and the Partij van de Vrijheid (Freedom Party). Dirk Stikker, later secretary general of NATO, chaired the Partij van de Vrijheid and was the first chairman of the VVD.
It is the largest party and leads the current Dutch government.
Shift to the left
Between 1994 and 2002 the VVD was a coalition partner of the two Purple governments lead by Prime Minister Wim Kok from the Dutch Labour Party. During this period the party moved more towards Social-liberalism, but stayed on the Right-side over Fiscal policies.
During its leadership over the current government the party had moved to the left side of the political spectrum social politics and foreign affairs, such as more support for the European Union, during Prime Minister Mark Ruttes leadership the popularity of the party has a downfall according to the last monthly poll.[3]