The Party for the Animals is a Dutch political party that aims to improve the position of animals in our society. The party was founded to promote an awareness of the way in which humans treat animals and to emphasise that this needs to change – in the interest of not only the animals themselves, but also humans and the environment in which we all live. 

Party Platform
The Party for the Animals’ platform is built around the belief that both animals and humans are living creatures with emotions and a conscience and therefore, animals have the right to be treated with respect by humans. This means that regardless of whether they are in the wild or are kept in farms or homes, animals should be able to live according to their own nature and not have their well-being affected by humans without reasonable or necessary reason. The party believes the extent to which a human society is ‘civilised’ can be measured by the way in which its members treat other living creatures and the natural environment in general.

History of the Party for the Animals
The Party for the Animals was founded in October 2002 because the political environment in the Netherlands did not (and still does not) pay any attention to the interests of animals. Other political parties place concepts such as the economy, law and order, and integration above nature, the environment, and animal welfare. The Party for the Animals will give animal welfare the priority it deserves. Taking part in the political process provides the party with the opportunity of placing the legal protection of animals high on the political and social agenda and convincing other parties to support the interests of animals.

From the day it was founded, the number of people supporting the Party for the Animals’ has continually grown. In January 2003 the party stood for the first time in a Dutch parliamentary election and received 0.5% of the votes (around 50,000 votes), which just fell short of the number required for a seat in the lower house of the national parliament. In 2004, the European Parliament elections saw the Party for the Animals receive 3.2% of the votes (around 153,000 votes), again coming close to winning a seat. In terms of membership numbers, the Party for the Animals was the fastest-growing political party in the Netherlands in 2005. This is unprecedented for a young party that has not even been elected to parliament yet.

In a number of other countries including Belgium, France, Germany, Spain and the UK, political parties similar to the Party for the Animals were recently set up, and opinion polls indicate that the Party for the Animals could potentially win 8% of the votes in the Netherlands. The Dutch political system is based upon proportional representation, which means that the heterogeneous character of the voting population is reflected in the make-up of parliament. On 22 November 2006, new parliamentary elections will take place in the Netherlands and these should see the Party for the Animals elected to the national parliament; it will be the first time in the world that a political party which champions the interests of animals has achieved this feat.

We are on the verge of an historical breakthrough in the campaign for animal rights. The success of the Party for the Animals in the Netherlands could gain international importance and thereby improve the lives of billions of animals. If you wish to assist us in our breakthrough, please send an e-mail to info@partijvoordedieren.nl Thank you very much for your support!

Press release

The world’s first animal rights senator inaugurated in Dutch senate.

THE HAGUE, 11/06/07 - A new milestone in Dutch animal rights politics. After gaining 2 seats in parliament in November 2006 and 9 seats in provincial governments in March 2007, on June 12 Niko Koffeman will be inaugurated as the first animal rights senator in the world.

After their breakthrough in national politics, the Dutch animal rights politicians try to inspire animal rights advocates in different countries to start their own Party for the Animals. In April, Koffeman and chairwoman Thieme visited New York, MP Ouwehand visited Boston, and Thieme visited Vienna to speak about animal rights politics in Austria.

Animal rights advocates investigate the possibility of founding a Party for the Animals in the United States, as has already happened in the UK, Germany, Spain, France and Canada, and is now being prepared in Austria.

The Party for the Animals became the world’s first animal rights party to get elected to office when they won 2 seats (and almost 2% of all votes) in the Dutch national parliament on November 22nd 2006. On March 7th 2007 they achieved another election victory in the Netherlands, winning 9 seats in the provincial governments. Tomorrow the next step will be 1 seat in the national Senate, a new ‘world’s first’.

Since the pioneering entry of the Party for the Animals into the Dutch parliament, animal rights have become one of the most conspicuous issues in Dutch national politics. During the recent debate on the agricultural budget, 80% of the speaking time of all parties in parliament was dominated by the theme of animal rights.

Party chairwoman and MP Marianne Thieme was voted Political Talent of the Year 2006 by the Dutch parliamentary press. She was also voted ‘most influential woman for the income of farmers in the Netherlands’ by the biggest Dutch agricultural magazine, and women’s magazine Viva awarded her the title of ‘Most Spicy Politician of the Netherlands’.

A victory for the animals

Party for the Animals gains 2 parliamentary seats in the Netherlands

Amsterdam, 11/23/2006 – On Wednesday, November 22, the Dutch political Party of the Animals gained 2 seats in the 150-member legislature in The Netherlands. This makes the Netherlands the first country in the world in which a party for animal welfare is elected into a representative body of the people. 

“We are thrilled with such a wonderful result of our campaign”, says party leader Marianne Thieme LL.M.. “Finally we can start realizing our party’s highest priority, namely ending all animal suffering. We want a constitutional amendment, guaranteeing animals the right to freedom from pain, fear and stress caused by humans. Let’s begin with easing the suffering of the hundreds of millions of cows, pigs and chickens stuck in factory farming”, she said. Thieme feels success in the Netherlands could help the movement elsewhere. One of the party’s purposes is to be an inspiration for other countries and animal rights activists.

A growing number of Dutch people are wondering why it is necessary to have economic interests prevail over ethical considerations when it comes to animal welfare and the interests of nature and the environment. “The Party for the Animals expresses this concern that so many Dutch have”, says Esther Ouwehand, number two on the party list, explaining the party’s victory.

The party and viewpoints of party leader Marianne Thieme LL.M. received a great deal of media attention. After law school and a brief corporate career, she decided to enter politics as an advocate for all animals and founded the Party for the Animals. A large number of well known Dutch authors such as Jan Wolkers, Kees van Kooten, Maarten ’t Hart and Harry Mulisch have joined the Party for the Animals. 20 of the party’s 30 candidates are opinion leaders in the Netherlands. Also a number of business people have contributed large sums of money to the Party for the Animals, allowing for a full-fledged political campaign.

A world first:

Party for the Animals has a big chance of winning parliamentary seats in the Netherlands

Amsterdam, 11/14/2006 – On Wednesday, November 22 the Dutch will go to the polls. One of the 24 parties in the running is the Party for the Animals. Chances of this party winning two or more seats in parliament are continuously increasing. This will make the Netherlands the first country in the world in which a party for animal welfare is elected into a representative body of the people. 

Recent animal crises such as mad cow disease and foot-and-mouth disease have clearly exposed the flaws of intensive cattle farming. Dutch farmers were hit more than average by these crises as the Netherlands are a nation marked by highly intensive cattle farming. In the end, millions of healthy animals were exterminated. This animal suffering has set many Dutch people thinking about the methods used in animal farming. Economic interests should not prevail over ethical considerations when it comes to animal welfare and the interests of nature and the environment. The castration of pigs without the use of any anesthetic, as well as the clipping of their tails and teeth are commonplace. A growing number of Dutch people are wondering why this is necessary. The Party for the Animals expresses this concern and acts as a booster towards other parties in the Dutch parliament that call themselves animal friendly. 
On the candidate list of the largest opposition party (the labor party) the only animal protector rose from a 51st position, with no chance of being elected, to a 33rd position thanks to the influence of the Party for the Animals.

The party and viewpoints of party leader Marianne Thieme LL.M. receive a great deal of media attention. After law school and a brief corporate career, she decided to enter politics as an advocate for all animals and founded the Party for the Animals. ‘Our party’s highest priority is to end all animal suffering. People who treat animals in a civilized manner, will treat each other in a civilized manner’, Thieme says.

A large number of well known Dutch authors such as Jan Wolkers, Kees van Kooten, Maarten ’t Hart and Harry Mulisch have joined the Party for the Animals. Poets, singers and other artists also occupy the party’s list of candidates. 20 of the party’s 30 candidates are opinion leaders in the Netherlands. A number of business people have contributed large sums of money to the Party for the Animals, allowing for a full-fledged political campaign. The French-American professor Laurence Arcadias of the Maryland Institute College of Art and her students created election videos for the party, including this one:
http://www.partijvoordedieren.nl/PvdDTV/?id=4