Forum for Democracy facts for kids

Quick facts for kids <div style="padding-top:0.3em; padding-bottom:0.3em; border-top:2px solid Lua error in Module:European_and_national_party_data/config at line 227: attempt to index field 'data' (a nil value).; border-bottom:2px solid Lua error in Module:European_and_national_party_data/config at line 227: attempt to index field 'data' (a nil value).; line-height: 1;"> Forum for Democracy Forum voor Democratie
Abbreviation	FvD
Leader	Thierry Baudet
Chairperson	Thierry Baudet
Leader in the House of Representatives	Thierry Baudet
Leader in the Senate	Johan Dessing
Founders	Thierry Baudet Henk Otten
Founded	1 September 2016
Headquarters	Herengracht 74, Amsterdam
Youth wing	Jongerenorganisatie Forum voor Democratie (JFvD)
Think tank	Renaissance Institute
Membership (January 2025)	60,163
Ideology	National conservatism Right-wing populism
Political position	Far-right
European affiliation	ECR Party (2019–2022) ESN Party (since 2024)
European Parliament group	ECR Group (2019–2020) NI (2020–2022, 2022–2024) ID Group (2022)
Colors	<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;">     Maroon
House of Representatives	Lua error in Module:European_and_national_party_data/config at line 227: attempt to index field 'data' (a nil value).
Senate	Lua error in Module:European_and_national_party_data/config at line 227: attempt to index field 'data' (a nil value).
States-Provincial	15 / 570 <div style="background-color: Lua error in Module:European_and_national_party_data/config at line 227: attempt to index field 'data' (a nil value).; width: 3%; height: 100%;">
European Parliament	Lua error in Module:European_and_national_party_data/config at line 227: attempt to index field 'data' (a nil value).
Website
Lua error in Module:European_and_national_party_data/config at line 227: attempt to index field 'data' (a nil value).
Politics of the Netherlands

Forum for Democracy (in Dutch: Forum voor Democratie), also known as FvD, is a political party in the Netherlands. It was started as a think tank in 2015 by Thierry Baudet and Henk Otten. A think tank is a group that researches and discusses ideas. In 2016, it became a political party.

The party first won seats in the House of Representatives in the 2017 general election. At first, FvD was a right-wing party that was Eurosceptic, which means it was critical of the European Union (EU). It focused on protecting Dutch culture and wanting political changes in the Netherlands.

The party became very popular for a while and was the largest party in the 2019 Dutch provincial elections. However, after some founding members left, the party's ideas became more extreme. This led to a drop in its popularity. Today, many people see FvD as a far-right party.

History of the Party

How FvD Started (2016–2018)

FvD began as a think tank that was against the EU. It campaigned during the 2016 referendum about an agreement between the EU and Ukraine. The group wanted the Netherlands to have more referendums, which are votes where citizens decide on a law directly.

In September 2016, FvD officially became a political party. In the 2017 election, it won two seats in the Dutch parliament. These seats were taken by Thierry Baudet and Theo Hiddema. By 2018, the party was growing fast, but it also had some internal problems. Some important members left because they felt the party was not democratic enough inside.

Gaining Popularity (2018–2019)

In the 2018 local elections, FvD won three seats on the Amsterdam city council. The party also did well in the 2019 European Parliament election, winning three seats.

The party's biggest success came in the 2019 Dutch provincial elections. FvD won 86 seats across all twelve provinces of the Netherlands. It became the largest party in three provinces: South Holland, North Holland, and Flevoland. Many of the party's candidates were new to politics.

However, in August 2019, co-founder Henk Otten left and started a new party called Group Otten. This new party took some of FvD's seats in the Senate and the European Parliament.

Internal Disagreements (2020–2021)

In 2020, the party faced serious internal divisions. Disagreements arose over controversial messages shared in online groups connected to the party's youth wing. Some members were asked to leave the party as a result.

The problems continued, and more news reports came out about extremist comments made by youth members. This caused a major debate inside the party. Some leaders, like Theo Hiddema, wanted to shut down the youth wing.

Thierry Baudet stepped down as the party's main candidate for the 2021 election. Soon after, other key members, including Theo Hiddema and Senator Paul Cliteur, also resigned from their leadership roles. Letters from other party members claimed that Baudet had made controversial statements and supported conspiracy theories.

Baudet later decided to run for leader again. In a vote, 76% of FvD members supported him. In response, many of the party's elected officials resigned. They went on to form a new party called JA21.

Recent Years (2021–Present)

In the 2021 general election, FvD campaigned against the government's COVID-19 lockdown rules and won eight seats. However, the party caused more controversy when it released a poster comparing the lockdown to the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. This was criticized by Jewish organizations in the Netherlands. A Dutch court later ordered Baudet to delete social media posts that made similar comparisons.

More members left the party in 2022. Senators Theo Hiddema and Paul Frentrop quit after FvD leaders did not attend a speech by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. This left the party with only one senator, Johan Dessing.

What the Party Believes

FvD's ideas have changed over time. When it started, it was seen as a national conservative and conservative liberal party. It wanted to attract voters who felt the main right-wing party (VVD) was not strict enough on immigration and the EU.

Today, FvD is often described as a right-wing populist and far-right party. It focuses on protecting Dutch independence, identity, and culture.

Government and Laws

FvD is against what it calls a "party cartel," where it believes the main political parties share power and work together behind the scenes. To fix this, FvD supports:

• Direct democracy through referendums.
• Directly electing mayors and the Prime Minister.
• Having government leaders who are experts in their fields, not just politicians.

The party also wants to change the Dutch constitution so that national laws are more important than international laws.

Society and Culture

FvD wants to protect Dutch culture and what it calls "Judeo-Christian values." It supports classical music and art and wants new government buildings to have a classical style. The party also wants to make museums free for all Dutch citizens.

The party has spoken out against modern feminism and supports traditional family roles. It also wants to stop government funding for what it calls "transgender propaganda" aimed at children.

Immigration

FvD has a strong nationalist viewpoint and wants to protect Dutch culture from outside influences. The party supports:

• Bringing back border controls to reduce immigration.
• Banning Islamic face veils.
• Stopping foreign funding for Islamic schools.
• Asking immigrants who do not want to fit in to return to their home countries.

Economy and Environment

In economics, FvD supports economic liberalism. It wants to lower taxes, especially on gifts and inheritance. The party also wants to increase spending on the military.

On the environment, FvD is against large government spending on renewable energy. The party supported Dutch farmers who protested against new laws on nitrogen emissions.

Foreign Policy

FvD's views on foreign policy have also shifted. At first, it was more pro-Western and supported NATO. Now, the party has a more neutral stance and argues that Dutch interests should always come first.

The party has been criticized for its friendly position towards Russia. Since the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, FvD has supported the Russian view of the conflict and has called for the Netherlands to leave NATO. Some reports have claimed the party received support from Russia, but FvD has denied this.

The party is very critical of the European Union. It wants to renegotiate the Netherlands' membership and then hold a referendum on whether to leave the EU, an event sometimes called "Nexit."

Election Results

House of Representatives

Election	Lead candidate	Votes	%	Seats	+/–	Government
2017	Thierry Baudet	187,162	1.78	2 / 150	New	Opposition
2021		521,102	5.02	8 / 150	6	Opposition
2023		232,963	2.23	3 / 150	5	Opposition

Senate

Election	Votes	%	Seats	+/–	Government
2019	27,473	15.87	12 / 75	New	Opposition
2023	4,866	2.72	2 / 75	10	Opposition

Party Organization

Thierry Baudet, founder and leader of the party

Leadership

• Leader: Thierry Baudet (2016–present)
• Chairman: Thierry Baudet (2016–2017; 2017–present)
• Leader in the House of Representatives: Thierry Baudet (2017–present)

Party Membership

The number of people who are members of FvD has changed over the years.

International Connections

In the European Parliament, FvD has been part of different political groups. It started in the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group. After many members left, FvD was briefly part of the Identity and Democracy (ID) group but was suspended for being too pro-Russian.

In 2024, FvD joined a new European party called the Europe of Sovereign Nations, which is led by the German party Alternative for Germany.

See also

In Spanish: Foro para la Democracia para niños