International

Quarter to ten, and SP campaign leader Hans van Heijningen introduces party leader Jan Marijnissen to a crowded , noisy Melkweg as “the winner of the parliamentary elections of 2006!”. Jan appears from the back of the hall, preceded by all of the SP's newly-elected candidates in a flurry of flowers, balloons and wild applause.

"This is a historic day for the SP and for the Netherlands,” Marijnissen began. “The socialists have overtaken the liberals! We have become the country's third party, not only in membership but in parliament. The Netherlands has voted and declared that it wants a more human, more socially-minded country.

“Thirty years ago the pioneers of the SP made a choice, that they would devote themselves to bringing about a better society. Now the great breakthrough has arrived. Once again we have more than doubled our vote! Tonight we're going to party – I want to see you raise the roof on the Melkweg – we have the right to celebrate. But tomorrow we will face enormous responsibilities before the whole country. There will be difficult coalition discussions, but our position is, and remains: the Netherlands must become more human and more socially-minded.”