50PLUS facts for kids
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50PLUS
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| 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 (2025) |  1,773 |
| Ideology | Pensioners' interests |
| Political position | Centre |
| European affiliation | European Democratic Party (2023–present) |
| Colours | <span style="background-color:Lua error in Module:European_and_national_party_data/config at line 227: attempt to index field 'data' (a nil value).; color:; border:1px solid darkgray; text-align:center;"> Purple |
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| House of Representatives | Lua error in Module:European_and_national_party_data/config at line 227: attempt to index field 'data' (a nil value). |
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| Provincial councils |
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50PLUS (often called 50+) is a political party in the Netherlands. It focuses on the interests of older people, like pensioners. The party has a middle-ground political view. Maurice Koopman, Alexander Münninghoff, and Jan Nagel started the party in 2009.
The party first took part in elections for the provincial councils in 2011. They won 9 seats. This allowed them to have a representative, Jan Nagel, in the Senate. Later, under Henk Krol, 50PLUS entered the House of Representatives for the first time in the 2012 general election.
At the European level, 50PLUS was linked with the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE). Their Member of the European Parliament (MEP), Toine Manders, was part of the ALDE group from 2013 to 2014. After the 2019 European Parliament election, Manders joined the European People's Party group. He left 50PLUS in 2020. In 2023, 50PLUS became part of the European Democratic Party (EDP).
History of 50PLUS
How 50PLUS Started (2009-2011)
The party began in 2009. Its first name was Onafhankelijke Ouderen en Kinderen Unie, which means "Independent Elderly and Children Union." It took over from an older party called Partij voor Rechtvaardigheid, Daadkracht en Vooruitgang. Maurice Koopman, Alexander Münninghoff, and Jan Nagel were the people who started it. The party decided not to join the 2010 general election. In the autumn of 2010, the name changed to 50PLUS.
Before the 2011 Senate election, 50PLUS made a deal with another group called the Onafhankelijke Senaatsfractie (OSF). The smaller regional parties did not have enough seats to get a spot in the Senate on their own. So, 50PLUS members agreed to vote for the OSF. In return, 50PLUS member Kees de Lange would be the main candidate for the OSF. De Lange later left the party in 2012 after a disagreement.
First Seats in Parliament (2012-2015)
50PLUS took part in the 2012 general election. Henk Krol was their main candidate. The party won two seats in the House of Representatives. Henk Krol and Norbert Klein became Members of Parliament.
In 2013, some supporters started a new group called Ouderen Politiek Actief (OPA). This happened after 50PLUS decided not to join the 2014 local elections. There were some disagreements within the party. Henk Krol later stepped down as a Member of Parliament in October 2013. This was because of issues related to pension payments from when he owned a newspaper. Norbert Klein became the new leader in Parliament, and Martine Baay-Timmerman took Krol's seat.
In May 2014, Baay-Timmerman was removed from the parliamentary group by Klein. Both Members of Parliament then claimed to represent 50PLUS. Henk Krol returned to the House of Representatives in September 2014 because Baay-Timmerman was on sick leave. In November 2014, Klein became an independent Member of Parliament and started his own party.
Changes and Challenges (2016-2019)
For the general election in March 2017, Henk Krol was again the main candidate. The list of candidates caused some debate, and some members left. People were concerned about new members being placed high on the list, like former TV presenter Léonie Sazias. The party hoped to win many seats but ended up with four. These seats were taken by Krol, Martin van Rooijen, Corrie van Brenk, and Sazias.
In May 2018, there was a big disagreement within the party's board. Seven out of eight main board members resigned. The chairman, Jan Zoetelief, also resigned. Geert Dales became the new chairman.
Recent Events (2020-Present)
In February 2020, there were more disagreements within the party leadership. Several members of the Senate and House of Representatives asked for chairman Geert Dales to resign. They said he had an "autocratic" leadership style. Dales announced he would step down in April 2020. On May 3, 2020, Henk Krol left the party and became an independent Member of Parliament. Corrie van Brenk then took over as the parliamentary leader.
After Krol left, Dales resigned as chairman in May 2020. Bert Kannegieter became the acting chairman. In August 2020, Jan Nagel was elected chairman again. In June 2020, the only 50PLUS Member of the European Parliament, Toine Manders, switched to another party.
Liane den Haan, who was a director of an organization for older people, was chosen as the main candidate for the next general election in August 2020. Some people disagreed with this choice. They said she had supported changes to the pension system that 50PLUS was against. Despite this, party members elected her as the lead candidate in October 2020. Because of this decision, several important party members left.
In the March 2021 general election, the party lost three seats. Liane den Haan won the only remaining seat. However, on May 6, 2021, she left 50PLUS due to disagreements and continued as an independent Member of Parliament. In the provincial council elections, 50PLUS kept eight seats. After the Senate election in May 2023, Martin van Rooijen remained as a senator. In June 2023, Jorien van den Herik was elected as the new party chairman.
For the November 2023 general election, the party board asked former TV presenter Catherine Keyl to be the lead candidate, but she said no. The board then nominated Ellen Verkoelen. There were disagreements with the board, and the party meeting in September 2023 was disrupted. After a vote in October, Gerard van Hooft was elected as the lead candidate. Ellen Verkoelen then left the party and started a new group. In the 2023 election, 50PLUS did not win any seats.
Election Results
House of Representatives
| Election | Lead candidate | List | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | Government | |
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| 2012 | Henk Krol | List | 177,631 | 1.88 |
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 2 |
Opposition | |
| 2017 | List | 327,131 | 3.11 |
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2 |
Opposition | ||
| 2021 | Liane den Haan | List | 106,658 | 1.02 |
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Opposition | |
| 2023 | Gerard van Hooft | List | 51,043 | 0.49 |
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1 |
No seats |
Senate
| Election | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | |
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| 2011 | 2,193 | 1.3 |
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| 2015 | 4,388 | 2.6 |
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| 2019 | 5,251 | 3.0 |
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| 2023 | 3,264 | 1.8 |
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1 |
European Parliament
| Election | List | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | EP Group | |
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| 2014 | List | 175,343 | 3.69 |
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New | – | |
| 2019 | List | 215,199 | 3.91 |
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1 |
EPP | |
| 2024 | List | 58,498 | 0.94 |
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1 |
– |
Provincial Councils
| Election | Votes | % | Seats | +/– |
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| 2011 |
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New | ||
| 2015 | 204,858 |
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5 |
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| 2019 | 265,215 |
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3 |
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| 2023 | 178,014 |
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9 |
Organization
Leadership Roles
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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.
Images for kids
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The 50PLUS Members of Parliament after the 2017 general election. In the middle row are Henk Krol and Léonie Sazias. Behind them are Corrie van Brenk and Martin van Rooijen.
