Democrats 66

Democrats 66 (Dutch: Democraten 66; abbreviated D66, Dutch pronunciation: [ˌdeː zɛsə(n)ˈzɛstəx]) is a social liberal political party in the Netherlands, which positions itself in the centre of the political spectrum. It is a member of the Liberal International (LI) and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE).

The name of the party refers to its year of foundation, 1966. Initially, its main objective had been to democratise the Dutch political system, but it developed a broader social liberal ideology over time. In the 1967 general election, the party won 7 out of 150 seats in the House of Representatives. No new party had ever gained that many seats before. The party was in government from 1973 to 1977, 1981 to 1982, 1994 to 2002, 2003 to 2006 and 2017 to present. It currently holds 24 seats in the House of Representatives, seven seats in the Senate and two seats in the European Parliament.

D66 is especially popular among people who hold a university degree, and its voters are mostly concentrated in larger cities and in municipalities with an above-average number of wealthy residents. The party supplies a relatively large proportion of mayors, who are appointed rather than elected.

Currently, the party is led by Rob Jetten, who was elected party leader on 12 August 2023. Annelien Bredenoord, Jan Paternotte and Samira Rafaela are serving as the party's parliamentary leaders in the Senate, the House of Representatives and the European Parliament respectively.