50PLUS facts for kids

Quick facts for kids 50PLUS
Abbreviation	50+
Leader	Martin van Rooijen
Chairman	Willem Dekker
Leader in the Senate	Martin van Rooijen
Founded	2009 (Onafhankelijke Ouderen en Kinderen Unie, OokU) 9 October 2010 (current name)
Preceded by	Party for Justice, Action and Progress
Headquarters	Kneuterdijk 2, The Hague
Think tank	Wetenschappelijk Bureau 50PLUS
Membership (2024)	1,515
Ideology	Pensioners' interests Populism Soft Euroscepticism
Political position	Centre
European affiliation	European Democratic Party (2023–present)
Colours	Purple
Senate	1 / 75
House of Representatives	0 / 150
King's commissioners	0 / 12
Provincial councils	8 / 572
European Parliament	0 / 29

50PLUS (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈvɛiftəx plʏs]; abbreviated 50+) is a political party in the Netherlands that advocates pensioners' interests with a centrist political line. The party was founded in 2009 by Maurice Koopman, Alexander Münninghoff and Jan Nagel. Since 2021, Martin van Rooijen has served as party leader.

The party first participated in the 2011 provincial elections, in which it won 9 provincial council seats, allowing it to be represented in the Senate by Nagel. Under lijsttrekker Henk Krol, the party entered the House of Representatives for the first time at the 2012 general election. On 6 May 2021, party leader Liane den Haan, its sole member in the House of Representatives, left to sit as an Independent following an internal dispute.

At the European level, 50PLUS was first affiliated with the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE), as its sole Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Toine Manders sat with the liberal ALDE group from 2013 to 2014. Following the 2019 European Parliament election, which saw Manders regain his seat, he sat with the conservative European People's Party group. Manders left the party in 2020 to join the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA). In 2023, 50PLUS joined the European Democratic Party (EDP).

History

2009-2011

The party was founded under the name Onafhankelijke Ouderen en Kinderen Unie (Independent Elderly and Children Union) in 2009, succeeding the Partij voor Rechtvaardigheid, Daadkracht en Vooruitgang (Party for Justice, Vigour and Progress). It was an initiative of Maurice Koopman, Alexander Münninghoff and Jan Nagel. The party decided not to enter elections for the House of Representatives in 2010. During autumn that same year the name was changed to 50PLUS.

Leading up to the 2011 Dutch Senate election, 50PLUS made an agreement with the Onafhankelijke Senaatsfractie (Independent Senate Faction). The regional parties had too little seats in the Provincial council to collectively get a seat in the Senate, and the members of 50PLUS promised to vote for the OSF (Onafhankelijke Staatsfractie) to help them gain one. In return for this, 50PLUS member Kees de Lange would be the OSF's first candidate on the electoral list. On the 23rd of May 2011, he was chosen as a senator on behalf of the OSF. 50PLUS member Jan Nagel also won one seat. From then on, it was possible for individuals to become member of the party.

Electoral results

House of Representatives

Election	Lijsttrekker	Votes	%	Seats	+/–	Government
2012	Henk Krol	177,631	1.88 (#11)	2 / 150	2	Opposition
2017		327,131	3.11 (#10)	4 / 150	2	Opposition
2021	Liane den Haan	106,658	1.02 (#15)	1 / 150	3	Opposition
2023	Gerard van Hooft	51,043	0.49 (#17)	0 / 150	1	Extra-parliamentary

Senate

Election	Votes	%	Seats	+/–	Government
2011	2,193	1.3	1 / 75	1	Opposition
2015	4,388	2.6	2 / 75	1	Opposition
2019	5,251	3.0	2 / 75	0	Opposition
2023	3,264	1.8	1 / 75	1	Opposition

European Parliament

Election	List	Votes	%	Seats	+/–	Notes
2014	List	175,343	3.69 (#10)	0 / 26	New
2019	List	215,199	3.91 (#9)	1 / 26	1

Provincial councils

Election	Votes	%	Seats	+/–	Notes
2011		(#10)	9 / 566	New
2015		(#10)	14 / 570	5

Organization

Leadership

Representation

House of Representatives

Senate

See also

In Spanish: 50PLUS para niños

• Union 55+, Defunct Dutch pensioners' interests party active from 1992 until 1998.
• General Elderly Alliance, Defunct Dutch pensioners' interests party active from 1993 until 1998.