International

The SP group in the Dutch Senate has doubled its presence in the ‘First Chamber’ from 2 to 4 seats, due to the elections on May 26th. by the members of the 12 provincial parliaments.

The new elected senators are:

• Tiny Kox, former general secretary of the SP;
  
• Anja Meulenbelt, writer, feminist and international activist;
  
• Ronald van Raak, historian and philosopher at the University of Amsterdam and the Scientific Bureau of the SP;
  
• Tineke Slagter, family doctor, former president of the National Union of Family Doctors.

All national legislation has to pass both Chambers of Parliament: the Second Chamber and the First Chamber.
The Second Chamber has 150 members, 9 of them SP MP’s, the Senate has 75 members, with now 4 SP MP’s. In both Chambers the new right wing government headed by Christian democratic leader Jan Peter Balkenende has a small majority.

The day after the new government was formed, the SP started a new broad campaign: ‘It is going to be a mess with this government’. SP MP’s and party activists are visiting markets, shopcentres, railwaystations to discuss with the public the consequences of the new government’s policy for Dutch society. Radio commercials and internet activities support the campaign. This month a million party leaflets with information about the new government’s policy and the alternatives of the SP will be distributed by the party branches, with an appeal to join the party, that now has 41,392 members: 5,000 more than on January 1rst 2003.