Dutch political parties spent around €1.3 million on online advertising in the final month of electoral campaigning, reports the University of Amsterdam (UvA) as the polls opened today for the legislative elections.
Digital advertising space was purchased by Dutch political parties from Facebook and Google between 18 October and 16 November.
The GroenLinks-PvdA topped the list spending €412,000, followed by the left-leaning liberal party D66 with €208,000, the populist party Forum for Democracy (Forum voor democratie - FVD) with €127,000, the Christian Democratic Party (CDA) with €107,000, and the pan-European party Volt with €101,000.
Credit: Belga
The majority of the advertisements were purchased from Meta for reaching voters on Facebook and Instagram. Political parties collectively expended €753,000 targeting specific groups through Meta’s ad options.
Examples include GroenLinks-PvdA, led by former European Commissioner Frans Timmermans, targeted individuals interested in artistic museums and libraries, while the Animal Party (PVdD) targeted nature documentary enthusiasts.
The polling stations opened at 07:30 on Wednesday morning and will close at 21:00 this evening.
Approximately 13.3 million Dutch citizens can vote, selecting from the 26 parties participating in these elections, held following the collapse of the government in July and the departure of the Prime Minister, Mark Rutte, after 13 years in power.
Some voters in Amsterdam are casting their ballots in an unusual location: the famed Anne Frank House.
Anne Frank and her family's secret hideout, a museum today, is a stark reminder of the consequences of the breakdown of democracy and the rule of law, while also hoping to attract younger voters, a press release from the museum stated.
Belga News Agency also reported on Wednesday afternoon significant traffic around the Kennedy Tunnel on the Antwerp ring road, heading towards the Netherlands.
Earlier today, a motorway pileup involving two lorries and two cars resulted in a ten-kilometre tailback. As a result, motorists are currently experiencing delays of around an hour and a half.
