Editing Democrats 66 (section)

== Organisation ==

=== Name and logo ===
At its foundation, the party was called '''Democrats '66''' ({{Langx|nl|Democraten '66}}, abbreviated '''D'66'''). The name referred to the party's goal of radical democratisation and to the year of foundation, which was supposed to convey a modern image. In 1981, the [[apostrophe]] was dropped: the name had become a successful political brand, but the year no longer conveyed a modern image.

{{Gallery
|title=Logos of the Democrats 66
|width=100 |height=100
|align=center
|footer=
|File:D'66 politiek program 1966.png
| 1966–1984
|File:D66 logo (1985–2001).svg
| 1985–2001
|File:D66 logo (2002–2006).svg
| 2002–2006
|File:D66 logo (2006–2008).svg
| 2006–2008
|File:D66 logo (2008–2019).svg
| 2008–2019
|File:D66 logo (2019–present).svg
| 2019–present
}}

=== Structure ===
The highest organ of the D66 is the General Assembly, in which every member can participate. It convenes multiple times per year. It appoints the party board and has the last say over the party program. The [[party list]], including the party's [[Parliamentary group leader|parliamentary leader]], for the Senate, House of Representatives, European Parliament candidates are elected directly by the members. The party has between 250 and 300 branches all over the Netherlands.

=== Leadership ===

==== Chairpersons ====
{{Col-begin}}
{{Col-2}}
* [[Hans van Mierlo]] <small>(14 September 1966&nbsp;– 16 February 1967)</small>
* [[Gerben Ringnalda]] <small>(16 February 1967&nbsp;– 18 November 1967)</small>
* [[Hans van Lookeren Campagne]] <small>(18 November 1967&nbsp;– 14 December 1968)</small>
* [[Jan Beekmans]] <small>(14 December 1968&nbsp;– 7 November 1971)</small>
* [[Ruby van der Scheer]] <small>(7 November 1971&nbsp;– 11 March 1973)</small>
* [[Jan ten Brink (Democrats 66)|Jan ten Brink]] <small>(11 March 1973&nbsp;– 6 November 1976)</small>
* [[Jan Glastra van Loon]] <small>(6 November 1976&nbsp;– 27 October 1979)</small>
* [[Henk Zeevalking]] <small>(27 October 1979&nbsp;– 11 September 1981)</small>
* [[Cees Spigt]] <small>''(Ad interim)'' (11 September 1981&nbsp;– 14 November 1981)</small>
* [[Jan van Berkom]] <small>(14 November 1981&nbsp;– 30 October 1982)</small>
* [[Jacob Kohnstamm]] <small>(30 October 1982&nbsp;– 20 May 1986)</small>
* [[Olga Scheltema]] <small>''(Ad interim)'' (20 May 1986&nbsp;– 1 November 1986)</small>
* [[Saskia van der Loo]] <small>(1 November 1986&nbsp;– 29 October 1988)</small>
* [[Michel Jager]] <small>(29 October 1988&nbsp;– 3 November 1990)</small>
{{Col-2}}
* [[Ries Jansen]] <small>(3 November 1990&nbsp;– 28 November 1992)</small>
* [[Wim Vrijhoef]] <small>(28 November 1992&nbsp;– 23 November 1996)</small>
* [[Tom Kok]] <small>(23 November 1996&nbsp;– 20 November 1999)</small>
* [[Gerard Schouw]] <small>(20 November 1999&nbsp;– 16 November 2002)</small>
* [[Alexander Pechtold]] <small>(16 November 2002&nbsp;– 31 March 2005)</small>
* [[Jan Hoekema]] <small>''(Ad interim)'' (31 March 2005&nbsp;– 21 May 2005)</small>
* [[Frank Dales]] <small>(21 May 2005&nbsp;– 2 March 2007)</small>
* [[Gerard Schouw]] <small>''(Ad interim)'' (2 March 2007&nbsp;– 12 May 2007)</small>
* [[Ingrid van Engelshoven]] <small>(12 May 2007&nbsp;– 9 March 2013)</small>
* [[Fleur Gräper]] <small>(9 March 2013&nbsp;– 13 September 2015)</small>
* [[Letty Demmers]] <small>(13 September 2015&nbsp;– 6 October 2018)</small>
* [[Anne-Marie Spierings]] <small>(6 October 2018&nbsp;– 13 November 2021)</small>
* [[Victor Everhardt]] <small>(13 November 2021&nbsp;– 23 November 2024)</small>
* [[Alexandra van Huffelen]] <small>(23 November 2024&nbsp;– present)</small>
{{Col-end}}

==== Parliamentary leaders ====
{{Col-begin}}
{{Col-2}}
* [[Parliamentary leader]]s in the [[House of Representatives (Netherlands)|House of Representatives]]
** [[Hans van Mierlo]] <small>(23 February 1967&nbsp;– 1 September 1973)</small>
** [[Jan Terlouw]] <small>(1 September 1973&nbsp;– 11 September 1981)</small>
** [[Laurens Jan Brinkhorst]] <small>(11 September 1981&nbsp;– 10 November 1982)</small>
** [[Maarten Engwirda]] <small>(10 November 1982&nbsp;– 3 June 1986)</small>
** [[Hans van Mierlo]] <small>(3 June 1986&nbsp;– 22 August 1994)</small>
** [[Gerrit Jan Wolffensperger]] <small>(22 August 1994&nbsp;– 21 November 1997)</small>
** [[Thom de Graaf]] <small>(21 November 1997&nbsp;– 19 May 1998)</small>
** [[Els Borst]] <small>(19 May 1998&nbsp;– 30 May 1998)</small>
** [[Thom de Graaf]] <small>(30 May 1998&nbsp;– 22 January 2003)</small>
** [[Boris Dittrich]] <small>(22 January 2003&nbsp;– 3 February 2006)</small>
** [[Lousewies van der Laan]] <small>(3 February 2006&nbsp;– 30 November 2006)</small>
** [[Alexander Pechtold]] <small>(30 November 2006&nbsp;– 9 October 2018)</small>
** [[Rob Jetten]] <small>(9 October 2018&nbsp;– 18 March 2021)</small>
** [[Sigrid Kaag]] <small>(18 March 2021&nbsp;– 25 May 2021)</small>
** [[Rob Jetten]] <small>(25 May 2021&nbsp;– 28 September 2021)</small>
** [[Sigrid Kaag]] <small>(28 September 2021&nbsp;– 10 January 2022)</small>
** [[Jan Paternotte]] <small>(11 January 2022&nbsp;– 22 November 2023)</small>
** [[Rob Jetten]] <small>(23 November 2023&nbsp;– present)</small>
{{Col-2}}
* [[Parliamentary leader]]s in the [[Senate (Netherlands)|Senate]]
** [[Bert Schwarz]] <small>(11 May 1971&nbsp;– 17 September 1973)</small>
** [[Paula Wassen-van Schaveren]] <small>(17 September 1973&nbsp;– 17 September 1974)</small>
** [[Doeke Eisma]] <small>(17 September 1974&nbsp;– 20 September 1977)</small>
** [[Jan Glastra van Loon]] <small>(16 September 1980&nbsp;– 3 December 1985)</small>
** [[Jan Vis]] <small>(3 December 1985&nbsp;– 1 March 1995)</small>
** [[Eddy Schuyer]] <small>(1 March 1995&nbsp;– 12 June 2007)</small>
** [[Gerard Schouw]] <small>(12 June 2007&nbsp;– 17 June 2010)</small>
** [[Hans Engels]] <small>(22 June 2010&nbsp;– 7 June 2011)</small>
** [[Roger van Boxtel]] <small>(7 June 2011&nbsp;– 9 June 2015)</small>
** [[Thom de Graaf]] <small>(9 June 2015&nbsp;– 26 June 2018)</small>
** [[Hans Engels]] <small>(26 June 2018&nbsp;– 11 June 2019)</small>
** [[Annelien Bredenoord]] <small>(11 June 2019&nbsp;– 12 June 2023)</small>
** [[Paul van Meenen]] <small>(13 June 2023&nbsp;– present)</small>
{{Col-end}}

=== Linked organisations ===
The [[youth wing]] of D66 is called the [[Young Democrats (Netherlands)|Young Democrats]] ({{Langx|nl|Jonge Democraten}}, abbreviated JD). It has produced several prominent active members of D66, such as former MP [[Boris van der Ham]]. The JD is a member of [[European Liberal Youth]] and the [[International Federation of Liberal Youth]].

D66 is a co-founder of the [[Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy]], a democracy assistance organisation of seven Dutch political parties. The [[Hans van Mierlo Foundation]] is the party's [[Think tank|policy institute]].

=== International affiliation ===
D66 is a member of the [[Liberal International]] and of the [[Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party|Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe]] (ALDE). D66 joined the [[European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party (European Parliament group)|Liberal and Democratic Reformists]] (LDR) group in 1989.<ref name="HellerMershon2009" /> It became a full member of the [[Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party|European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party]] (ELDR) in 1994 and a full member of the Liberal International in 1986.<ref>[http://www.liberal-international.org/editorial.asp?ia_id=762 Democrats 66] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091006020106/http://www.liberal-international.org/editorial.asp?ia_id=762|date=6 October 2009}} on liberal-international.org</ref>

==== European Parliament ====
The D66 delegation is part of the [[Renew Europe]] group in the European Parliament. Prior to the [[1979 European Parliament election in the Netherlands|first European elections in 1979]], D66's appointed [[Member of the European Parliament|MEP]]s were part of the [[Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats|Socialist Group]], before switching to [[Non-Inscrits]] from 1979 to 1984,<ref name="Kirchner1988">{{cite book|author=Emil J. Kirchner|title=Liberal Parties in Western Europe|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wtCIzAyQChQC&pg=PA412|access-date=21 August 2012|date=3 November 1988|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-32394-9|page=412}}</ref> and the [[Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe group|LDR/ELDR/ALDE]] group since 1989.<ref name="HellerMershon2009">{{cite book|author1=William Heller|author2=Carol Mershon|title=Political Parties and Legislative Party Switching|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jvfGAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA153|date=23 June 2009|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|isbn=978-0-230-62255-5|page=153}}</ref>

Current members of the [[European Parliament]] since the [[2024 European Parliament election in the Netherlands|2024 European Parliament election]]:

* [[Gerben-Jan Gerbrandy]], delegation leader
* [[Raquel Garcia Hermida-van der Walle]]
* [[Brigitte van den Berg]]

==== Committee of the Regions ====
In the [[European Committee of the Regions]], the Democrats 66 party sits in the [[Renew Europe in the European Committee of the Regions|Renew Europe CoR group]], with one full and one alternate member for the 2020–2025 mandate:<ref>{{cite web |title=Members |url=https://cor.europa.eu/en/members/Pages/default.aspx?Country=Netherlands&PoliticalGroup=Renew%20Europe |website=European Committee of the Regions |access-date=6 April 2021}}</ref>
* [[Robert van Asten]] (alternate)
* [[Ellen van Selm]] (member)

=== Water board ===
D66 does not run an independent list for the [[Water board (Netherlands)|water board elections]]. Instead, like [[GroenLinks]] and [[Volt Netherlands]], it recommends that its voters support [[Water Natuurlijk]], an independent, [[Green politics|green]]-oriented political party focused solely on water board elections.<ref name=":0" />