GreenLeft

GreenLeft (Dutch: GroenLinks, GL) is a green political party operating in the Netherlands.

GreenLeft was formed on 1 March 1989 as a merger of four left-wing political parties: the Communist Party of the Netherlands, Pacifist Socialist Party, the Political Party of Radicals and the Evangelical People's Party. After disappointing results in the 1989 and 1994 general elections, the party fared particularly well between 1994 and 2002. The party's leader Paul Rosenmöller was seen as the unofficial leader of the opposition against the Kok cabinet-led Purple governments by the media, fellow politicians and academics, even though it was only the second largest party in the opposition.

GreenLeft describes itself as "green" "social", and "tolerant". It places itself in the freedom-loving tradition of the Left.

Currently the party is represented by four seats in the House of Representatives, five in the Senate and three in the European Parliament. The last party leader, and chair of the parliamentary party in the House of Representatives, was Jolande Sap. The party is in opposition against the governing Rutte cabinet. The party has over 100 local councillors and it participates in the government of sixteen of the twenty largest municipalities in the Netherlands. The party's voters are concentrated in larger cities, especially those with a university.

The party has over 21,901 members which are organised in over 250 municipal branches. The party congress is open to all members. It is a member of the Global Greens and the European Green Party. The Party increased its number of seats from 7 to 10 in the 2010 Dutch general election, to be reduced to 4 seats in the 2012 elections