Too many parties can spoil politics

TO ENTER parliament, a Dutch political party need only win enough votes for one seat. With no minimum threshold, there are lots of parties. Eleven succeeded in 2012, including two liberal parties, three Christian ones and one that cares about animal rights. In the next election, this March, polls suggest the total could rise to 13, with the addition of a pro-immigrant party and an anti-immigrant one (the country’s second). As small parties multiply, the large ones are shrinking. In the 1980s governing parties often held 50 seats in the 150-seat parliament; today they are lucky to reach 40.