Testimonial party
Encyclopedia
Testimonial party is a political party
that focuses on its principles, instead of adapting them to local or temporal issues in the pursuit of coalition government
participation. It is a specific phenomenon in the Netherlands
, because of the Dutch system of proportional representation
, in which any party which has over 0.66% of the vote can enter parliament, resulting in a large number of relatively small political parties, none of which are able to obtain a supermajority in the house of representatives. As a result, Dutch political parties will negotiate and compromise to form a coalition government. Testimonial parties will not compromise, and combined with that fact that they are usually small parties, participation in a coalition government is extremely unlikely. Examples of parties that have referred to themselves as "testimonial" include the orthodox Protestant Reformed Political Party
(SGP) and the animal rights
Party for Animals. In contrast, the term program party is used for parties oriented at coalition participation.
electoral system discouraged the success of such small fundamentalist-based political parties.
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
that focuses on its principles, instead of adapting them to local or temporal issues in the pursuit of coalition government
Coalition government
A coalition government is a cabinet of a parliamentary government in which several political parties cooperate. The usual reason given for this arrangement is that no party on its own can achieve a majority in the parliament...
participation. It is a specific phenomenon in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, because of the Dutch system of proportional representation
Proportional representation
Proportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...
, in which any party which has over 0.66% of the vote can enter parliament, resulting in a large number of relatively small political parties, none of which are able to obtain a supermajority in the house of representatives. As a result, Dutch political parties will negotiate and compromise to form a coalition government. Testimonial parties will not compromise, and combined with that fact that they are usually small parties, participation in a coalition government is extremely unlikely. Examples of parties that have referred to themselves as "testimonial" include the orthodox Protestant Reformed Political Party
Reformed Political Party
The Reformed Political Party is an orthodox Protestant Dutch political party. The term Reformed is not a reference to political reform, but is a synonym for Calvinist. The SGP is the oldest political party in the Netherlands in its current form, and for its entire existence has been in opposition...
(SGP) and the animal rights
Animal rights
Animal rights, also known as animal liberation, is the idea that the most basic interests of non-human animals should be afforded the same consideration as the similar interests of human beings...
Party for Animals. In contrast, the term program party is used for parties oriented at coalition participation.
In other countries
In New Zealand, Christian Heritage Party of New Zealand may have been an exported version of a 'testimonial party' to a foreign national context, whose mixed member proportional representationMixed member proportional representation
Mixed-member proportional representation, also termed mixed-member proportional voting and commonly abbreviated to MMP, is a voting system originally used to elect representatives to the German Bundestag, and nowadays adopted by numerous legislatures around the world...
electoral system discouraged the success of such small fundamentalist-based political parties.
See also
- Protest party
- compare to extra-parliamentary oppositionExtra-parliamentary oppositionAn extra-parliamentary opposition is a political movement opposed to a ruling government or political party that chooses not to engage in elections...
, which refuses to organizationally back candidates for political office. - single-issue politicsSingle-issue politicsSingle-issue politics involves political campaigning or political support based on one essential policy area or idea.-Political expression:...