Last month, a political party in its infancy surprised onlookers in the Netherlands by winning three seats in the country's lower house - its best result in a national election.
Volt NL - led by 35-year-old Laurens Dassen - supports investment in the green economy, is anti-sexism, anti-racism, pro-LGBTQI+ rights and pro-Europe.
Now, analysts are speculating whether such success can be replicated in upcoming elections across Europe, such as in Germany - the European Union’s largest member state - where a vote is being held in September.
Volt NL comes under the umbrella of Volt Europa, which was founded on 29 March 2017 – the day the United Kingdom formally announced its intention to leave the EU. Today, the movement claims to have members in more than 30 countries, with the most in the Netherlands.
Under the leadership of Mr Dassen, Volt NL campaigned on climate change action and addressing wealth inequality and racism in a country that has in recent years seen the rise of far-right and populist politicians.
Volt NL leader Laurens Dassen (left) arriving to vote for the parliamentary elections in Amsterdam. Source: ANP
“Volt is the politics of a new generation,” Mr Dassen told Dutch broadcaster NOS ahead of the 17 March election this year.
Mr Dassen was brought up in the small village of Knegsel before moving to Amsterdam. But it was the university cities such as Amsterdam, Leiden and Groningen where his party enjoyed most of its success on election day.
At the last national election in 2017, 67 per cent of young people participated.
“This year, around 80 per cent of young people cast their vote," Sanne Kruikemeier, an associate professor in political communication at the University of Amsterdam, told SBS News.
“They were mobilised during this election.”
Among those voters was 26-year-old Dan Chneider, a consultant living in Amsterdam who was attracted to Volt’s energy policy and its plans to engage with the EU.
“Until the last day, I was thinking about voting for two or three different parties. I ended up going with Volt because I like its pro-European stance which is not connected to the typical established parties,” he said from Amsterdam.
The surge in the youth vote may have come as a result of political parties shifting their campaigning online during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dan Chneider lives in Amsterdam and says he eventually chose Volt out of two or three other parties. Source: Supplied
In January, a national lockdown sparked violent protests across the Netherlands and bolstered the message of anti-lockdown political parties.
Volt NL took a different stance, telling voters that coronavirus and climate change were reasons to cooperate with Europe.
But while Volt NL did make some gains on election day, they weren’t the ultimate winners. That honour went to incumbent Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and his centre-right VVD party.
However, politicians are debating their confidence in Mr Rutte to form a new cabinet, after his previous government's resignation over a some in Australia have likened to the coalition's unlawful robodebt scheme.
Geert Wilders’ far-right Freedom Party dropped a number of seats to become the third-best represented party in parliament, behind VVD and the centre-left D66 party.
But Dr Kruikemeier said two other anti-immigration parties still managed to gain traction in an election that saw 17 parties in total cement representation in parliament. She said it was far from a 50-50 contest.
A man arrives to cast his ballot in a ride through polling station for bicycles in Amsterdam, March 15, 2021. Source: AP
“What interested me in this election was that there were so many parties,” she said. “People chose the party which fits their standpoint, and I think that’s good for democracy.”
Matthew Coote from RMIT University’s European Union Centre of Excellence said the tragedy of the pandemic and the electoral success of the far-right in recent years has impacted younger voters.
“Volt has been able to appeal to younger left-leaning voters who want to bring politics to the European level, young people who have grown up in the EU, without borders, and want to see Europe as whole tackle big issues such as the climate emergency.”
A sign of what’s to come?
At the time of the last national election in the Netherlands - 15 March 2017 - Volt Europa had not formally been founded yet. But four years on, its Dutch branch has three seats in the country's lower house and sights set on more across the continent.
So what's next for the movement - will the momentum continue or peter out?
Dr Kruikemeier believes Volt may be starting to tap into the sentiments of a key voter base that could give it and similar parties support in the years to come across Europe.
“It might become something for future elections, that young, educated and more pro-European voters turn out in higher numbers,” she said.
Mr Coote agrees and said Volt's success in the Netherlands has given it a platform to promote itself. But, he said, its growth will depend on how well representatives perform in office.
“New political movements have been known to rise and fall,” he said. “The irony is … its best hope to make electoral gains may be by continuing to take a narrow focus by appeal to pro-European students and young professionals.”
Mr Chneider believes the party has a chance of retaining its young voter base.
“I think if Volt can keep its image as a new party, not tied to the old parties, it can grow. But it’s hard to say – it could also disappear in four years.”
Mr Coote said it would be much harder for a fledgling party or movement such as Volt to have the immediate success it is enjoying in the Netherlands in Australia, given the difference in the systems of government.
“But if a party is clever enough, with the technology and skill that we’ve seen in the Netherlands, with a charismatic leader, a party can still garner support for people to vote in the upper house.”
