LEF – For the New Generation LEF – Voor de Nieuwe Generatie | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Abbreviation | LEF |
| Leader | Daniël van Duijn |
| Founder | Daniël van Duijn |
| Founded | 18 December 2020; 5 years ago (2020-12-18) |
| Ideology | Youth politics E-democracy Environmentalism[1] |
| Colors | Purple andblack |
| Website | |
| lef | |
LEF – For the New Generation (Dutch:LEF – Voor de Nieuwe Generatie,pronounced[ˈlɛf|voːrdəˈniu.əɣeːnəˈraːtsi]), also known simply asLEF (lit. 'courage'), is a political party in theNetherlands focused onyouth interests. The party participated in the2023 House of Representatives elections with Daniël van Duijn aslead candidate, but was unable to win a seat.[2]
The party was founded by party leader Daniël van Duijn in 2020. It participated in the2022 municipal election inAmsterdam andThe Hague, but was unable to win a seat in either municipal council.[3][4]
The party participated in the2023 Dutch general election with Van Duijn as itslead candidate. The party received 5,053 votes, not enough for a seat.[5] They chose to campaign solely by performing campaign stunts.[6] One of these had Van Duijn paste the party's poster on the windows of the studio from whichBuitenhof was being live broadcast, thereby interrupting an interview withParty for the Animals party leaderEsther Ouwehand. While doing this, Van Duijn exclaimed: "Climate is more important thanOmtzigt!".[7] Van Duijn also interrupted the finalleaders' debate before the elections by stepping up onto the stage, yelling accusations of 'old politics', and toldDilan Yeşilgöz that herVVD party should 'never come to power again'. After this Van Duijn was arrested by police.[8][9] He was released the next day, on the condition that he would stay away from theHouse of Representatives on results evening.[10]
The party program of the 2023 House of Representative elections listed several key points, such as the implementation of abasic income, citizen councils, lowering thevoting age to under 18, and compensating students withstudent debt. The party furthermore has a general focus on the younger generation, and advocates for strongerclimate action.[1]
Party leader Van Duijn made the news when it became clear that he had the party's most important program points tattooed on his forearm by renowned tattoo artistHenk Schiffmacher. It concerned the following points, regarding the2022 municipal elections inAmsterdam andThe Hague:[11][12]
| Election | Lead candidate | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | Government |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Daniël van Duijn | 5,122 | 0.05 (#23) | 0 / 150 | New | Extra-parliamentary |
| Election year | Municipal council | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Municipality | Votes | % | # of overall seats won | +/− | |
| 2022 | |||||
 Amsterdam | 848[3] | 0.26% | 0 / 45 | New | |
 The Hague | 1,618[4] | 0.89% | 0 / 45 | New | |