NETHERLANDS: RULING CHRISTIAN DEMOCRATS TRIUMPH IN COUNTRY'S PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS

Record ID: 590781

  • Title: NETHERLANDS: RULING CHRISTIAN DEMOCRATS TRIUMPH IN COUNTRY'S PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS
  • Date: 22nd January 2003
  • Summary: (W8) THE HAGUE, NETHERLANDS (JANUARY 22, 2003)(REUTERS) 1. PAN: CAMPAIGN POSTERS SHOWING DUTCH PRIME MINISTER JAN-PETER BALKENENDE/CHRISTIAN DEMOCRAT (CDA) ELECTION CELEBRATION PARTY IN HAGUE 0.07 2. SCU: TWO FEMALE CDA SUPPORTERS CHEERING AS EXIT POLLS RELEASED 0.13 3. CU: PROVISIONAL RESULTS ON LARGE SCREEN SHOWING INCREASE IN CDA SEATS IN PARLIAMENT AND LOSS OF LDF PARTY (OF FORMER DUTCH POLITICIAN PIM FORTUYN) 0.18 4. PAN: GIANT SCREEN/ CDA CLEBRATIONS UNDER WAY 0.32 5. VARIOUS OF JAN-PETER BALKENENDE ARRIVING AND BEING CHEERED (4 SHOTS) 0.53 6. SV: BALKENENDE KISSES UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN 1.03 7. PAN: BALKENENDE SURROUNDED BY REPORTERS 1.09 8. SCU: BALKENENDE AND WIFE CHEERED BY CDA SUPPORTERS 1.16 9. SCU: PHOTOGRAPHERS SURROUNING BALKENENDE/ ZOOM OUT TO GIANT SCREEN 1.22 10. SV/WS: BALKENENDE SURROUNDED BY MEDIA (2 SHOTS) 1.30 11. (SOUNDBITE)(English) BALKENENDE SAYING: "I am very satisfied with this result. It was predictable it would be a neck-to-neck race between the Social Democrats and the Christian Democrats. And now the election will be a victory for the Christian Democrats and I'm very happy about it." 1.40 12. VARIOUS OF SUPPORTERS CHEERING BALKENENDE 1.51 13. SCU: (SOUNDBITE)(English) BALKENENDE SAYING: "Pim Fortuyn was a very popular politician last year. He made clear this concept of the Dutch people. And of course of course Mr Fortuyn was killed. It was a terrible incident in politics. We have never seen something like that in our history. We must not forget the lessons from last year. There must not be a gap between the politicians in the Hague and the people. You have to bring solutions for the problems that the people feel as real problems. If you talk about bureaucracy in education, if you talk about the feeling of safety of people, if you talk about economics. Then you have to look to the interests of the people. That was the lesson of last year and we will take up that lesson." 2.34 14. SV: CDA SUPPORTERS 2.39 15. PULL OUT/SCU/SV: BALKENENDE BEING HANDED FLOWERS/ LEAVES PARTY (3 SHOTS) 3.00 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 6th February 2003 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: THE HAGUE, NETHERLANDS
  • Country: Netherlands
  • Reuters ID: LVA9VBU8W9R75AJF6E5JDPQCW03H
  • Story Text: The ruling Dutch Christian Democrats (CDA) have triumphed
    in Wednesday's parliamentary election, according to
    final provisional results.


    Dutch Prime Minister Jan-Peter Balkenende welcomed the
    progress made by his Christian Democratic Party in general
    elections on Wednesday (January 22).

    Results based on almost 100 percent of votes cast in the
    Netherlands gave the CDA 44 of parliament's 150 seats, with
    the resurgent Labour opposition party coming second with 42
    seats.

    At an euphoric party in the Hague, Balkenende said: "I am
    very satisfied with this result. It was predictable it would
    be a neck-to-neck race between the Social Democrats and the
    Christian Democrats. And now the election will be a victory
    for the Christian Democrats and I'm very happy about it."
    The LPF party of murdered populist Pim Fortuyn saw its
    seats slide to eight from the 26 it won in last May's
    election, according to the result broadcast on Dutch
    television.

    Balkende paid tribute to the legacy of the late leader of
    the LDF party by saying: "Pim Fortuyn was a very popular
    politician last year. He made clear this concept of the Dutch
    people. And of course of course Mr Fortuyn was killed. It was
    a terrible incident in politics. We have never seen something
    like that in our history. We must not forget the lessons from
    last year."
    A feud between Fortuyn's heirs brought down Balkenende's
    centre-right coalition between LPF, CDA and the free-market
    VVD in October after only 87 days in power. It was the
    shortest-lived Dutch coalition since World War Two.

    Balkende added politicians need to seize the opportunity
    to fill the void left by the lessons of the last election in
    May 2002.

    "There must not be a gap between the politicians in the
    Hague and the people. You have to bring solutions for the
    problems that the people feel as real problems. If you talk
    about bureaucracy in education, if you talk about the feeling
    of safety of people, if you talk about economics. Then you
    have to look to the interests of the people. That was the
    lesson of last year and we will take up that lesson."
    The official definitive result will be issued on January
    27 when all votes, including those cast overseas, are
    included. But the election-night result includes almost 100
    percent of votes cast within the Netherlands and usually
    varies little from the definitive outcome.

    However, even small variations could be of crucial
    importance to the result in such a close race.

    The projected result raised the prospect of the two
    pillars of Dutch democracy -- CDA and Labour -- rekindling the
    grand coalition which ruled the traditionally stable
    Netherlands from 1989 to 1994 under CDA Prime Minister Ruud
    Lubbers.

    PR/JRC






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