We have this online test that we can do, that tells us which party to vote.

We have a party system, meaning that you vote for a party, and the party gets a number of seats in the parliament, and that in order to rule, they need to form a coalition with a majority number of seats.

So my boyfriend and I took a test, and he got PVDA and I got D66, so we just agreed to vote for those parties, as they are the two parties that we want in parliament anyway.

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Don't make me seem like the unhealthy crazy one, when you're the one who wouldn't tell me what to do!

Care to link that test ? Dutch politics isn't that far removed from Belgian. I wonder where I'll end up. D66 you say. Interesting party that. Too bad they're dwindling. I saw some debates with Lousewies (beautiful name!) van der Laan and she certainly made a lot more sense than either Harry Potter () or Wouter -nice butt- Bos.

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"Say not, 'When I have free time I shall study'; for you may perhaps never have any free time"
Hillel the Elder

What do these parties stand for?

When I write about Swedish politics on international forums, I don't use the real names of the Swedich parties, but call them Conservatives, Social Democrats et cetera. I also write about the Parliament, not Riksdagen, which is its name in Sweden.

The Swedish parties in Parliament:

Moderaterna - Conservatives
Kristdemokraterna - Christian Democrats
Folkpartiet - Liberals
Centerpartiet - Agrarians
Socialdemokraterna - Social Democrats
Miljöpartiet - Green Party
Vänsterpartiet - Left Party

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President Josiah Bartlet: Sweden has a 100% literacy rate. 100%! How do they do that?
Leo McGarry: Maybe they don't and they can't add.

http://www.stemwijzer.nl

Basically, I'm not sure how I do or do not feel about certain things. I just answered the questions, but didn't realize the bigger issues behind them.

Anyway, I'm not displeased with D66 as a result.

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Don't make me seem like the unhealthy crazy one, when you're the one who wouldn't tell me what to do!

You know, I'd tell you, but what they are in Dutch politics doesn't translate well to American politics.

I figure they're both centrist, one a little on the left and the other a little on the right.

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Don't make me seem like the unhealthy crazy one, when you're the one who wouldn't tell me what to do!

Thanks for the link. I ended up with GroenLinks. I can live with that.

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"Say not, 'When I have free time I shall study'; for you may perhaps never have any free time"
Hillel the Elder

Let me try to describe Dutch politics for anyone interested.
Of course this description might be a bit biased, but i try to be as much neutral. I voted groenLinks, but I'm grown up in a CU family.
From biggest to smallest party in today's parliament.

CDA - Biggest party. A christian party like many European countries have (CDU in Germany).
They have a conservative point of view on moral issues like gay marriage, abortus, euthanasia but they don dare to start a discussion about it considering the fact that this issues are widely backed by a majority.
On econmic/social issues they are center left.
Voted on by catholics and protestants (hervormd). Other christians vote CU or SGP.

PvdA: Like Labour, but hey, Blair is Labour, too. Expected to be left wing, but most of the time a center party. represewnting the socaiaist's flaw that the workers of 30 years ago are the establishment of today.

VVD: Libertarians: Focused on economics like privatisation and cutting on social security.

SP: Like it's name a socialist party. Focussed on helping the low incomes, unemployed, handicapped and elderly. A fairly new party wich has grown expoively in the last years, possible because of the CDA/VVD-government of the last 5 years.

GroenLinks: progressive liberals. They have a more intellectual approach to left-wing issues and not only on social issues like SP, also combining it with libertarian economics.

PVV/Wilders: What i would call 'populistic right'. Not like other right-wing parties focussed on economics and social reforms, but on strict immigration and anti-Islam. I would put the former LPF (after the elections not existent anymore) in the same political corner.

CU: Small christian party. An alternative to CDA. Often considered left-wing because of their social views, although they don't want to be called left-wing.

SGP: A party for a certain kind of christianity ('bevindelijk' gereformeerd). it's the oldest political party (1917) and officialy (practically not anymore) they still strive for a state based on biblical views. Notorious for the fact that women in this party don't have the right to vote.
It's a quite unique situation in Dutch political history; In the 19th century there was a political christian movement opposing against the christian government of that time and demanding freedom of religion. Both CU and SGP are representing this historical opposition.

PvdD: A new party since the last elections. Defending animal rights. it's not clear yet whether they should be considered left or rightwing on other issues.

Thanks, Elve, that was interesting.

__________________
President Josiah Bartlet: Sweden has a 100% literacy rate. 100%! How do they do that?
Leo McGarry: Maybe they don't and they can't add.