Most voters believe a court may overturn a parliamentary decision

A considerable number of voters are dissatisfied with how democracy functions in the Netherlands, especially on the right wing of the political spectrum. PVV (55%), SGP (40%), and BBB (39%) are the most dissatisfied. The most satisfied voters support D66, Volt, GroenLinks-PvdA, and ChristenUnie, according to the research by political scientists Matthijs Rooduijn, Honorata Mazepus, and Bert Bakker.

The study shows that Dutch voters generally find it important that the Netherlands is a democratic country. They value free elections, believe that judges should treat everyone equally, and are happy that the media can criticize the government.

Yet, the researchers called their dissatisfaction conclusions “worrisome,” especially given that a right-wing government is a clear possibility after today’s elections. It is precisely right-wing voters that “are not the most democratic”.

Asked whether voters’ voting rights may be revoked if they are poorly informed or misled, a quarter of PVV and nearly the same amount of CDA voters said yes. A strikingly high proportion of left-wing voters also agreed with this statement - 20% of Volt, 12% of GroenLinks-PvdA, and 8% of D66 voters. According to Mazepus, this is because “some voters are really concerned about the maze of disinformation that is circulating.”

The different views on democracy largely run along the left/right lines, the researchers found. Voters who are against climate measures and migration - BBB, PVV, SGP, for example - are also often more dissatisfied with democracy. And vice versa for Volt, D66, GroenLinks-PvdA voters.

https://nltimes.nl/2023/11/22/right-wing-voters-especially-dissatisfied-democracy