A record 20 parties occupy the 75 seats in the Dutch senate after farmers’ party BBB expelled Robert van Gasteren in the wake of an explosive weekend conference.
Van Gasteren tore up his membership card in protest at the “unprofessionalism” and “lack of a clear direction”, following MP Mona Keijzer’s decision to split from the party.
Van Gasteren said he wanted to continue as a member of the BBB’s Senate group, but that idea was knocked down by group leader Ilona Lagas. “Only members of the BBB can represent the BBB in the upper house,” she said.
He is the fifth senator to quit the farmers’ party, reducing it to 11 – still the second-largest group in the chamber, after the left-wing Progressief Nederland (formerly GroenLinks-PvdA).
Two senators, Robert Croll and Arie Griffoen, joined the liberal democratic party D66, which the BBB attacked for its plans to cut livestock numbers in half, while Eric Kemperman joined the far-right FVD and Pim Walenkamp is sitting as an independent.
Other senators have broken away from the VVD, JA21 and the animal rights party PvdD since the last election in June 2023.
The BBB has asked Van Gasteren to hand his seat back to the party, but he has not said if he will do so.
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