Entrepreneurs' Party (Netherlands)

The Entrepreneurs' Party (Dutch: OndernemersPartij, pronounced [ˌɔn.dərˈneː.mərspɑrˈtɛi̯]; OP) was a political party in the Netherlands founded on 22 April 2015.[2] The founder and political leader of the party is Hero Brinkman, who was in the House of Representatives for the Party for Freedom from 2006 to 2012.

Entrepreneurs' Party
OndernemersPartij
AbbreviationOP
LeaderHero Brinkman
ChairpersonMartine Gaasbeek
FounderHero Brinkman
Founded22 April 2015 (2015-04-22)
Dissolved2019 (2019)[1]
IdeologyLiberal conservatism
Entrepreneurs' interests
Political positionRight-wing
Website
ondernemerspartij.nl

The party took part in the 2017 House of Representatives elections, but did not win a seat with 0.12% of the votes. A striking name on the candidate list was radio DJ Patrick Kicken.[3] Initially, former DSB Bank director Dirk Scheringa was also going to participate in the elections,[4] but he was expelled in March 2016 when he had not paid his contributions.[5] After the party failed to win a single seat, it was dissolved.[6]

Ideology

As the name suggests, the party stood up for the interests of entrepreneurs. Their views were therefore mainly in line with this:[6]

  • VAT reduction to 19%
  • Reduce fuel taxes by 25 cents
  • Continued payment of sick employees from 2 years to 3 months
  • Unemployment benefits for self-employed persons and sole proprietorships
  • Abolition of deductible for basic care
  • Burden reduction for informal caregivers
  • Competition from the government towards health insurers
  • Involvement from companies in connection with the requirements of internships
  • Abolition of the student loan system and the introduction of a performance-related grant
  • State pension age back to 65

Election results

House of Representatives
Election Votes % Seats +/–
2017 12,570[7] 0.12%
0 / 150
 New

References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ondernemers Partij (OP).
  1. "Opgeheven politieke partijen" [Dissolved political parties]. Parlement.com (in Dutch). Retrieved 27 October 2023.
  2. Van de Zilver, Marieke (22 April 2015). "Hero Brinkman presenteert Ondernemers Partij" [Hero Brinkman presents Entrepreneurs' Party]. The Post Online (in Dutch). Retrieved 27 October 2023.
  3. Van Hoof, Jean (8 December 2016). "Patrick Kicken op lijst Ondernemerspartij Kamerverkiezingen" [Patrick Kicken on list Entrepreneurs' Party House of Representatives elections]. 1limburg (in Dutch). Retrieved 27 October 2023.
  4. "Scheringa sluit zich aan bij partij Brinkman" [Scheringa joins Brinkman's party]. NOS (in Dutch). 22 September 2015. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
  5. "Hero Brinkman zet oud-bankier Scheringa uit partij" [Hero Brinkman kicks former banker Scheringa out of party]. De Volkskrant (in Dutch). 24 March 2016. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
  6. "Ondernemerspartij (OP)". Parlement.com (in Dutch). Retrieved 27 October 2023.
  7. "Kerngegevens Tweede Kamerverkiezing 2017" [Core data House of Representatives election 2017] (PDF). Kiesraad (in Dutch). 15 March 2017. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
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