Reformed Political Party

The Reformed Political Party (Dutch: Staatkundig Gereformeerde Partij [ˌstaːtˈkʏndə(x) xəˌreːfɔrˈmeːrdə pɑrˈtɛi], SGP) is a conservative Reformed Christian political party in the Netherlands. The SGP is the oldest political party in the Netherlands existing in its present form, and has been in opposition for its entire existence. Since 1925, it has won between 1.5% and 2.5% of the votes in general elections. Owing to its orthodox political ideals and its traditional role in the opposition, the party is considered a testimonial party.

The SGP was founded in 1918 by orthodox Protestants led by Yerseke pastor Gerrit Hendrik Kersten, some of which originated from the Protestant Anti-Revolutionary Party (ARP). After the Pacification of 1917, compulsory voting and proportional representation was introduced in the Netherlands. The founders did not want to vote for existing parties, but saw an opportunity for a smaller party because of proportional representation. The party first participated in the 1918 general election. The hastily organised campaign focused on the ARP and its support of what SGP called state coercion, such as compulsory vaccination and insurance law. Because some might object to him combining being politician and pastor, Kersten was not a candidate, but instead Barend Lemans and Pieter Gijze. The party received over 5,000 votes, not enough for a seat.

Despite not winning a seat, the SGP continued its activities In 1919, the party board started a petition against the Invaliditeitswet [nl] (Disability Act), which forced workers to pay premiums to insure against disability. It received 4,800 signatures. The party encouraged its members to send back their stamp cards which tracked their premiums. In December 1920, the Senate passed a law that would accommodate their conscientious objections. A similar petition against compulsory vaccination received 27,059 signatures in 1922, but sorted no effect.

For the 1922 general election, Kersten was lead candidate, accepting objections within his electorate. The party won one seat in the House of Representatives, which was taken by Kersten. His speeches in parliament regularly received media attention, for example when he opposed the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam. In the 1925 general election, the party won another seat which was taken by Pieter Zandt.

Later that year, the anti-Catholic SGP would cause the fall of the second Ruijs de Beerenbrouck cabinet in what became known as the Night of Kersten [nl]. During the debate on the budget of the Foreign Affairs Ministry, Kersten had proposed cutting the budget of the diplomatic mission of the Netherlands to the Holy See. The amendment received a majority, because it was supported by the Protestant Christian Historical Union (CHU), which was in cabinet together with the Catholic General League. It resulted in more publicity and a third seat in the 1929 general election, which was taken by Cor van Dis sr. [nl]. Kersten, Zandt and Van Dis formed the parliamentary group until the 1937 general election, when the SGP lost one seat. The SGP did not achieve much in parliament other than during the Night of Kersten, but achieved some smaller goals outside of parliament through contact with the ministers.

Kersten saw the German invasion of the Netherlands in 1940 as a punishment for its sins. He rejected resistance against the German occupation and was seen as friendly towards them. After the war, he was nominated again as lead candidate, but he was barred from the House of Representatives for his stances during the war.

Kersten was succeeded by Zandt, under whose leadership the SGP was very stable, continually getting 2% of votes. In the 1956 general election, the SGP profited from the enlargement of parliament, and entered the Senate for the first time. It lost that seat in 1960 Senate election, but regained it in the 1971 Senate election.

In 1961 Zandt died and was succeeded by Van Dis sr. After ten years he stood down in favour of Reverend Hette Abma, who also stepped down after ten years, in favour of Henk van Rossum, a civil engineer. In the 1984 European Parliament election, the SGP joined the two other orthodox Protestant parties, the Reformatory Political Federation (RPF) and the Reformed Political League (GPV). They won one seat in the European Parliament, which was taken by SGP member Leen van der Waal, a mechanical engineer.