Editing GroenLinks (section)

===1994–2002: opposition during the purple cabinets===
[[File:GreenLeft-1994.jpg|thumb|left|1994 election posters showing the duo Rabbae/Brouwer. The text reads: "GroenLinks counts double"]]
Before the [[1994 Dutch general election|general election of 1994]], GroenLinks organised an internal election on the party's political leadership. Two duos entered: [[Ina Brouwer]] (former CPN) combined with [[Mohammed Rabbae]] (independent), while [[Paul Rosenmöller]] (independent) formed a combination with [[Leoni Sipkes]] (former PSP); there were also five individual candidates, including [[Wim de Boer]] (former chair of the PPR and member of the [[Senate (Netherlands)|Senate]]), [[Herman Meijer]] (former CPN, future chair of the party) and [[Ineke van Gent]] (former PSP and future MP).<ref name="Van Schuur"/>

Some candidates ran in duos because they wanted to combine family life with politics. Brouwer, Rosenmöller and Sipkes already were MPs for GroenLinks, whilst Rabbae was new – he had been chair of the Dutch Centre for Foreigners. In the first round, the duos ended up ahead of the others, but neither had an [[absolute majority]]. A second round was needed, in which Brouwer and Rabbae won with 51%.<ref name="Van Schuur"/> Brouwer became the first candidate and Rabbae second, the second duo Rosenmöller and Sipkes occupied the following place followed by [[Marijke Vos]], former chair of the party. The idea of a dual [[Lead candidate|lead candidacy]] did not communicate well to the voters. GroenLinks lost one seat, leaving only five. Yet in the same election, the centre-left Labour Party also lost a lot of seats.<ref name="DNPP1994"/>

After the disappointing elections, Brouwer left parliament. She was replaced as party leader by [[Paul Rosenmöller]] and her seat was taken by [[Tara Singh Varma]].<ref name="DNPP1994"/> The charismatic Rosenmöller became the "unofficial leader" of the opposition against the [[first Kok cabinet]] because the largest opposition party, the [[Christian Democratic Appeal]], was unable to adapt well to its new role as opposition party.<ref name="Koole"/><ref name="Andeweg">{{Citation
|last=Andeweg
|first=R.B.
|author-link=Rudy Andeweg
 |author2=Galen Irwin
|title=Governance and Politics in the Netherlands
|publisher=Palgrave
|year=2002
|location=Basingstoke
}}</ref> Rosenmöller set out a new strategy: GroenLinks should offer alternatives instead of only rejecting the proposals made by the government.<ref name="Rosenmöller-parlement.com">{{citation
|title=Geschiedenis GroenLinks
|url=http://www.groenlinks.nl/partij/GLFolder.2004-04-07.5303
|access-date=2008-04-29
|url-status=dead
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040627155841/http://www.groenlinks.nl/partij/GLFolder.2004-04-07.5303
|archive-date=2004-06-27
}}</ref><ref name="lagendijk">[[Joost Lagendijk|Lagendijk, Joost]] and [[Tom van der Lee]] "Doorbraak van de eeuwige belofte. Hoe GroenLinks vier jaar herkenbare oppositie omzette in verkiezingswinst", in Kramer, P., T. van der Maas and L. Ornstein (eds.) (1998). ''Stemmen in Stromenland. De verkiezingen van 1098 nader bekeken'' Den Haag: SDU</ref>

In the [[1998 Dutch general election|1998 general election]], GroenLinks more than doubled its seats to eleven. The charisma of "unofficial leader" Rosenmöller played an important role in this.<ref name="lagendijk"/> Many new faces entered parliament, including [[Femke Halsema]], a political talent who had left the Labour Party for GroenLinks in 1997.<ref name="DNPP1998">{{Citation
|last=Lucardie
|first=Paul
|author-link=Paul Lucardie
 |author2=B. de Boer |author3=I. Noomen |author4=G. Voerman
|title=Kroniek 1998. Overzicht van de partijpolitieke gebeurtenissen van het jaar 1998
|journal=Jaarboek DNPP
|publisher=DNPP
|location=Groningen
|year=1999
|url=http://www.rug.nl/dnpp/jaarboeken/jaarboek1998/index
|access-date=2008-04-28}}</ref>
The party began to speculate openly about joining government after the elections of 2002.<ref name="DNPP2000">{{Citation
|last=Lucardie
|first=Paul
|author-link=Paul Lucardie
 |author2=B. de Boer |author3=I. Noomen |author4=G. Voerman
|title=Kroniek 2000. Overzicht van de partijpolitieke gebeurtenissen van het jaar 2000
|journal=Jaarboek DNPP
|publisher=DNPP
|location=Groningen
|year=2001
|url=http://www.rug.nl/dnpp/jaarboeken/jaarboek2000/index
|access-date=2008-04-28}}</ref><ref name="Brader">{{Citation
|last=Brader
|first=Toof
|author-link=Toof Brader
|title=Als de Trêveszaal lonkt. Dubbelportret van GroenLinks
|publisher=Mets and Schilt
|year=2000
|location=Amsterdam
}}</ref>

The 1999 [[Kosovo War]] divided the party internally. The parliamentary party in the House of Representatives supported the [[NATO]] intervention, while the Senate parliamentary party was against the intervention. Several former PSP members within the House of Representatives parliamentary party began to openly speak out their doubts about the intervention. A compromise was found: GroenLinks would support the intervention as long as it limited itself to military targets. Prominent members of the founding parties including [[Marcus Bakker]] and [[Joop Vogt]] left the party over this issue.<ref name="DNPP1999">{{Citation
|last=Lucardie
|first=Paul
|author-link=Paul Lucardie
 |author2=B. de Boer |author3=I. Noomen |author4=G. Voerman
|title=Kroniek 1999. Overzicht van de partijpolitieke gebeurtenissen van het jaar 1999
|journal=Jaarboek DNPP
|publisher=DNPP
|location=Groningen
|year=2000
|url=http://www.rug.nl/dnpp/jaarboeken/jaarboek1999/index
|access-date=2008-04-28}}</ref>

In February 2001, [[Roel van Duijn]] and a few former members of [[The Greens (Netherlands)|The Greens]] joined GroenLinks.<ref name="DNPP2001"/>

In 2001, the integrity of former MP Tara Singh Varma came into doubt: it was revealed that she had lied about her illness and that she had made promises to [[development cooperation|development organisations]] which she did not fulfill. In 2000, she had left parliament because as she claimed, she had only a few months to live before she would die of cancer. The [[TROS]] program "Opgelicht" (In English "Framed") revealed that she had lied and that she did not have cancer.<ref name="DNPP2001">{{Citation
|last=Lucardie
|first=Paul
|author-link=Paul Lucardie
 |author2=B. de Boer |author3=I. Noomen |author4=G. Voerman
|title=Kroniek 2001. Overzicht van de partijpolitieke gebeurtenissen van het jaar 2001
|journal=Jaarboek DNPP
|publisher=DNPP
|location=Groningen
|year=2002
|url=http://www.rug.nl/dnpp/jaarboeken/jaarboek2001/index
|access-date=2008-04-28}}</ref> Later, she apologised on public television and claimed she suffered from [[post-traumatic stress disorder]].<ref name="Varma-parlement.com">{{citation
|title=T. Oedayraj Singh Varma
|url=http://www.parlement.com/9291000/biof/02532
|access-date=2008-04-29}}</ref>

In the same year, the parliamentary party supported the [[War in Afghanistan (2001–present)|invasion of Afghanistan]] after the [[September 11 attacks|terrorist attacks of September 11]]. This invasion led to great upheaval within the party. Several former PSP members within the House of Representatives parliamentary party began to openly speak out their doubts about the intervention. Under pressure of internal opposition, led by former PSP members and the party's youth organisation [[DWARS]], the parliamentary party changed its position: the attacks should be cancelled.<ref name="DNPP2001"/>