Democrats 66 facts for kids

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Quick facts for kids Democrats 66 Democraten 66

Abbreviation	D66
Leader	Rob Jetten
Chairperson	Victor Everhardt
Leader in the Cabinet	Sigrid Kaag (DPM)
Leader in the Senate	Paul van Meenen
Leader in the House of Representatives	Jan Paternotte
Leader in the EP	Samira Rafaela
Founders	Hans van Mierlo Hans Gruijters
Founded	14 October 1966 (1966-10-14)
Headquarters	Lange Houtstraat 11, The Hague
Youth wing	Young Democrats
Policy institute	Hans van Mierlo Foundation
Membership (2024)	29,624
Ideology	Social liberalism Progressivism European federalism
Political position	Centre
Regional affiliation	Liberal Group
European affiliation	Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe
International affiliation	Liberal International
European Parliament group	Renew Europe
Colours	Green White
Senate	5 / 75
House of Representatives	9 / 150
King's commissioners	1 / 12
Provincial councils	33 / 570
European Parliament	1 / 29
Benelux Parliament	3 / 21
Politics of the Netherlands

Democrats 66 (often called D66) is a political party in the Netherlands. It was founded in 1966, which is why "66" is part of its name. The party believes in ideas like social liberalism and progressivism. This means they support individual freedoms, social justice, and progress in society. D66 is considered a centre party in Dutch politics.

D66 wanted to make the Dutch political system more democratic when it started. Over time, it grew to focus on broader social liberal ideas. In its first election in 1967, D66 won 7 out of 150 seats in the House of Representatives. This was a big achievement for a new party. D66 has been part of the government many times, including from 1973 to 1977, 1981 to 1982, 1994 to 2002, 2003 to 2006, and from 2017 until recently.

Currently, D66 has nine seats in the House of Representatives, five seats in the Senate, and two seats in the European Parliament. The party is quite popular among people with university degrees and in bigger cities. Rob Jetten became the party leader on 12 August 2023.

What's in a Name? The D66 Story

The party was first called Democrats '66. The name showed their goal to make politics more democratic and highlighted the year they started, 1966, to seem modern. In 1981, they dropped the apostrophe. By then, "D66" was a well-known name, and the year no longer needed to show how modern they were.

Logo history
1966–1984	1985–2001	2002–2006	2006–2008	2008–2019	2019–present

How D66 Started and Grew

Founders Hans van Mierlo and Hans Gruijters

D66 was founded on 14 October 1966 by 44 people. Many of them were new to politics. The main founders were Hans van Mierlo, a journalist, and Hans Gruijters, a local politician. Van Mierlo became the party's first leader. They wanted to change the Dutch political system and end old ways of thinking. They called for more democracy and practical, scientific ways of making decisions.

Early Success and Challenges (1966–1986)

D66 quickly gained popularity. In the 1967 election, they won seven seats in parliament. This was a record for a new party. In 1971, they won four more seats. They even formed a "shadow cabinet" with other progressive parties.

Hans van Mierlo, co-founder and leader (1966–1973 and 1986–1998)

However, in the 1972 election, D66 lost some seats. Despite this, they joined a government with other progressive parties. After this, Hans van Mierlo left politics for a while. Jan Terlouw became the new leader.

The party faced tough times between 1972 and 1974, losing many members. Some even suggested closing the party down! But Jan Terlouw worked hard to bring the party back. He focused on new issues like the environment and education, making the party more liberal. This helped D66 grow again.

Jan Terlouw, leader from 1973 to 1982

In the 1981 election, D66 won 17 seats, a big jump! They joined a government again. But this government didn't last long due to disagreements. In the next election in 1982, D66 lost many seats. Jan Terlouw then left politics.

Joining Governments and Facing Setbacks (1986–2006)

In 1986, Hans van Mierlo returned as leader. He wanted to bring back democratic reforms and help different parties work together. In the 1994 election, D66 doubled its seats to 24. They formed a "purple government" with the Labour Party and the VVD (a conservative liberal party). This was a big moment for D66. Van Mierlo became Minister of Foreign Affairs. This government passed important laws, like allowing same-sex marriage.

Els Borst, top candidate in the 1998 general election

Before the 1998 election, Van Mierlo stepped down. Els Borst became the new leader. D66 lost seats but stayed in the government. Borst became Deputy Prime Minister. Later, D66 temporarily left the government when a plan for referendums (public votes on laws) was rejected. They rejoined after getting promises for a temporary referendum law and directly elected mayors.

In the 2002 election, D66 lost more seats. They joined a new government in 2003 with the CDA and VVD. D66 supported this government in exchange for more investment in education and the environment.

Alexander Pechtold, leader from 2006 to 2018

New Leadership and Growth (2006–Present)

In 2006, Alexander Pechtold became the new party leader. D66 left the government in July 2006 after a disagreement about a minister.

After 2008, D66 started doing much better in opinion polls. In the 2009 European Parliament election, they won more seats. Many people saw Alexander Pechtold as a strong opposition leader. D66 also took a firm stand against the Party for Freedom (PVV).

Sigrid Kaag, leader from 2020–2023

In the 2010 and 2012 elections, D66 continued to gain seats. Their membership also grew a lot. In the 2017 election, D66 won 19 seats and joined a new government.

In 2018, Alexander Pechtold retired. Rob Jetten became the parliamentary leader. In 2020, Sigrid Kaag became the new party leader. In the 2021 election, D66 surprised many by winning 24 seats, becoming the second-largest party. On 12 August 2023, Rob Jetten became the leader of the party. In the 2023 Dutch general election, D66 lost 15 seats, ending up with 9.

What D66 Believes In

D66 has two main ideas that guide them: radical democracy and progressive liberalism. These ideas work together to support individual freedom and self-development.

Key Ideas of D66

Mixed Economy: D66 believes in a mix of market economy and government involvement. They want more flexible job markets and lower taxes for middle and lower-income families.
Education and Innovation: They want to spend more money on education and new ideas. This includes better pay for teachers and more freedom for schools.
Environment: Protecting the environment is very important to D66. They support a carbon tax and investing in sustainable energy to fight global warming.
Socially Liberal: D66 is a socially liberal party. They have supported reforms like legalizing same-sex marriage.
Democratic Reform: They want to improve democracy. This includes making referendums binding, possibly getting rid of the Senate, and directly electing prime ministers and mayors.
European Cooperation: D66 supports a Federal Europe and more cooperation between European countries on issues like the environment, immigration, and foreign policy.

Where D66 Gets Its Votes

D66 is especially strong in the Randstad conurbation (a large urban area in the Netherlands) and around university towns. In the 2014 local elections, D66 became the largest party in many big cities like Amsterdam, The Hague, and Utrecht.

D66 in Government

Jan Paternotte, leader in the House of Representatives since 2022

Annelien Bredenoord, leader in the Senate since 2019

Samira Rafaela, leader in the European Parliament since 2023

Members of the Fourth Rutte Cabinet

D66 members hold important positions in the current government.

Ministers		Title/ministry/portfolio(s)			Assumed office
	Steven van Weyenberg (born 1973)	Minister	Finance		12 January 2024
	Jonkvrouw Kajsa Ollongren (born 1967)	Minister	Defence		10 January 2022
	Dr. Robbert Dijkgraaf (born 1960)	Minister	Education, culture and science		10 January 2022
Ministers without portfolio		Title/ministry/portfolio(s)			Assumed office
	Franc Weerwind (born 1964)	Minister	Justice and security	• Public Prosecution • Victims' rights • Judicial reform • Youth justice • Penitentiaries • Gambling	10 January 2022
	Rob Jetten (born 1987)	Minister	Economic affairs and climate policy	• Climate policy • Environment • Energy • Nuclear • Renewable energy	10 January 2022
	Rob Jetten (born 1987)	First Deputy Prime Minister	Economic affairs and climate policy		8 January 2024
	Pia Dijkstra (born 1954)	Minister	Health, Welfare and Sport	• Primary healthcare • Medical ethics • Health insurance • Pharmaceutical policy • Corona management	2 February 2024
State secretaries		Title/ministry/portfolio(s)			Assumed office
	Alexandra van Huffelen (born 1968)	State secretary	Interior and kingdom relations	• Kingdom Relations • Municipalities • Provinces • Digital government	10 January 2022
	Dr. Hans Vijlbrief (born 1963)	State secretary	Economic affairs and climate policy	• Mining	10 January 2022
	Fleur Gräper (born 1974)	State Secretary	Education, culture and science	• Culture • Media • Art	12 January 2024

D66 in the European Parliament

D66 members in the European Parliament are part of the Renew Europe group. This group focuses on liberal ideas in Europe.

Current members of the European Parliament from D66:

Samira Rafaela, who leads the D66 group there.

D66 in Local and Regional Government

D66 also has members in local and regional governments across the Netherlands.

Han Polman, King's Commissioner for Zeeland

King's Commissioners: D66 has one King's Commissioner, Han Polman, in the province of Zeeland.
Provincial Councillors: D66 has 41 representatives in the provincial councils across the country.

How D66 is Organized

The most important part of D66 is its General Assembly. All members can join these meetings, which happen several times a year. The Assembly chooses the party's board and approves its main plans. Members also directly vote for candidates for the Senate, House of Representatives, and European Parliament. D66 has many local groups (branches) all over the Netherlands.

Party Leaders Over Time

Hans van Mierlo (1966–1973, 1986–1998)
Jan Terlouw (1973–1982)
Laurens Jan Brinkhorst (1982)
Maarten Engwirda (1982–1986)
Els Borst (1998)
Thom de Graaf (1998–2003)
Boris Dittrich (2003–2006)
Alexander Pechtold (2006–2018)
Sigrid Kaag (2020–2023)
Rob Jetten (2023–present)

Current Party Board

Victor Everhardt, chair
Nadia Arsieni, secretary
Rob Meijer, treasurer
Maartje Jansen, board member (international relations)
Hester Duursema, board member (communications and recruitment)
Wietske Veltman, board member (association and education)

Groups Connected to D66

The youth group of D66 is called the Young Democrats (JD). Many JD members have become important D66 politicians. The JD is also part of bigger European and international youth liberal groups.

The Hans van Mierlo Foundation is D66's "think tank." This means it's a group that does research and develops new ideas for the party.

Working with International Parties

D66 is a member of the Liberal International, a worldwide group of liberal political parties. It's also part of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE), which is a group of liberal parties in Europe.

D66 and Other Parties

D66 is seen as a party in the middle of the political spectrum. This helps them work with many other parties in the Netherlands.

Historically, D66 has often worked with the Labour Party (PvdA) in governments. They have formed coalitions together many times. However, there have also been disagreements between them.

D66 also has connections with the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), even though the VVD is more conservative. Both D66 and VVD are part of the same liberal groups in Europe. They have also formed coalition governments together.

Images for kids

D'66 logo (1966–1984)
D66 logo (1985–2001)
D66 logo (2002–2006)
D66 logo (2006–2008)
D66 logo (2008–2019)
D66 logo (2019–present)
$Bestuursfuncties, fractievoorzitters, Bestanddeelnr 150-1308$

Hans van Mierlo, co-founder of D66
Hans Gruijters, co-founder of D66
Hans van Mierlo, co-founder and leader
Jan Terlouw, leader from 1973 to 1982
Els Borst, top candidate in the 1998 general election
Alexander Pechtold, leader from 2006 to 2018
Sigrid Kaag, leader from 2020–2023
Jan Paternotte, leader in the House of Representatives since 2022
Annelien Bredenoord, leader in the Senate since 2019
Samira Rafaela, leader in the European Parliament since 2023
Steven van Weyenberg
Kajsa Ollongren
Robbert Dijkgraaf
Franc Weerwind
Rob Jetten
Pia Dijkstra
Alexandra van Huffelen
Hans Vijlbrief
Fleur Gräper
Han Polman