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Below are short descriptions of the political parties that make up the Dutch parliament after the November 22, 2006 elections and a few parties that are well-known in the Netherlands even though they didn't get enough votes to be in parliament.
The CDA (Christian Democratic Appeal) is the largest party in Parliament and, therefore, offers our current prime minister, Jan-Peter Balkenende. Balkenende is now serving his fourth term as prime minister, even though he's only been in office since 2002 and governments usually stay for four years, but this is cause his first two governments collapsed prematurely and his third was an interim government. The CDA has 41 seats in the Lower House. Its ideas are somewhat in the centre between conservative and social-democratic, but have been rather conservative over the past four years due to the influence of right-wing coalition partners. Balkenende is a proponent of "norms and values", but this is interpreted loosely by other parties.
The Partij van de Arbeid (Labour Party), led by Wouter Bos, has 33 seats in the Lower House. It is also on the government together with the CDA and the Christian Union. Wouter Bos is now our finance minister. Labour is a social-democratic party that advocates the rights of poorer people, but it is not as radical on these topics as the Socialist Party or GroenLinks.
The Socialist Party, led by former labourer Jan Marijnissen, got 25 seats in the 2006 elections (it used to have nine). Its main focus is eliminating poverty through higher benefits and more taxes and benefits made dependent on income. Still, they do want people to work, so they propose to give an "employment bonus" to people who used to be on welfare who are now going to get employed. The SP is also known for its opposition to the wars on Iraq and Afghanistan and its opposition to the European constitution. More radical opinions are favouring a republic over our monarchy and the Dutch needing to get out of NATO, but, in the face of the 2006 election and the chances of forming a government, the SP dropped these opinions based on being unrealistic.
The Volkspartij voor Vrijheid en Democratie (People's Party for Liberty and Democracy) used to be on the government over the past several decades (together with other parties) and has had quite an influence on the last few governments led by Jan-Peter Balkenende. In the 2006 election, however, it got only 22 seats and is now along the opposition. Its opinions are conservative. For example, they propose that people under age 27 cannot be on welfare anymore. Another important topic for them, mainly brought up by former integration minister Rita Verdonk, is the integration of foreigners into our society. The VVD wants strict rules for immigration as well as integration.
Geert Wilders is a former VVD member who left the party in 2004 cause, according to him, the VVD's opinion on immigration and integration was not strict enough. He formed his own party, the Party for Liberty, and got nine seats in the 2006 election. Wilders' main issue is the opposition of islam. Therefore, he wants to stop immigration from non-western countries, not get new mosques and amend the constitution, replacing the portion forbidding discrimination by something about our country's culture being based on Christian and humanistic values.
GroenLinks, led by Femke Halsema, is another socialsit party, though it is less radical than the SP and is also often thought of as left-wing liberal. Their main points are decreasing poverty (though they are less radical than the SP on social security issues) and the environment. GroenLinks got seven seats in the 2006 election.
The Christian Union (CU) is grounded on christian principles, and, as such, opposes gay marriage, abortion and euthanasia. However, grounded in its religious beliefs, it also defends social security and the environment. It has six seats in the Lower House. Still, it is on the current government together with CDA and Labour. Its leader, André Rouvoet, is our minister for yotuh and family affairs.
Democrats '66 has always had electoral reform as its main issue. For example, they want a directly elected prime minister and mayor and a referendum by which the people can disapprove of already passed laws. D66 used to be on the government with Balkeneende till June, 2006, when they resigned cause of problems with Ayaan Hirsi Ali (a well-known VVD politician) possibly not being a Dutch citizen and the integration minister's attitude in this matter. Afer the 2006 election, D66 got three of its former six seats.
The Partij voor de Dieren (Animal Party), led by Marianne Thieme, got two seats in the 2006 election. Their main issue is animal rights, but they're also pretty left-wing on other issues.
The Political Reformed Party (Staatkundig Gereformeerde Partij) consistently maintains two seats in the Lower House. They are an extremely strict Christian party. Women now can be members (since 2006), but they cannot be active in politics.
Pim Fortuyn was an extremely right-wing politician who was opposed to islam and got popular in 2002. He was killed on May 6, 2002, but his party, the List Pim Fortuyn, got 26 seats in the Lower House anyway. They retained only eight in the 2003 election, because they fought amongst themselves while on the government and, by this, led to the government's collapse. In 2006, they lost their remaining seats, so they aren't in the Lower House anymore.
Another party grounded on Pim Fortuyn's principles, is EénNL, led by Marco Pastors. This party used to fight with Wilders about who was the most radical anti-islam. Apparently, they lost, cause they have no seats in the Lower House.