Ochtend Flits

Who were they?

NSC — Nieuw Sociaal Contract — was the party Pieter Omtzigt founded in 2023. It came out of nowhere, won 20 seats in the November 2023 election, joined the Schoof cabinet coalition, and by 2025 had collapsed back to zero seats. It is one of the fastest rises and falls in modern Dutch political history.

The party grew from Omtzigt's personal political brand: a reputation for dogged parliamentary scrutiny, exposing government wrongdoing, and caring about ordinary people trapped by bureaucratic systems. See the Toeslagenaffaire for why that reputation was earned.

What they stood for

NSC's policies were close to the CDA (Omtzigt's old party) but with two distinct emphases:

• Goed bestuur (good governance) — the state should actually function, keep promises, and not crush people in its machinery
• Bestaanszekerheid (existential security) — ordinary people should be able to afford housing, healthcare, and a pension without constant anxiety

They positioned themselves as neither left nor right but as the honest, competent centre. It resonated — for about a year.

The rise

The 2023 election result was startling: 20 seats, 1.34 million votes. Omtzigt had floated the party barely months before. The party entered the Schoof coalition alongside PVV, VVD, and BBB.

The collapse

Almost immediately things went wrong:

• Omtzigt suffered burnout and stepped back from leadership
• State secretaries Idsinga and Achahbar resigned amid conflicts
• Geert Wilders dubbed them the "Nederlandse Sabotage Club" when they wouldn't rubber-stamp his agenda
• NSC ministers finally walked out when the cabinet refused to consider additional sanctions on Israel

Without Omtzigt's personal appeal, the party had no floor. Under new leader Van Hijum, the 2025 election result was catastrophic: fewer than 40,000 votes. Zero seats.

What remains

One seat in the European Parliament. One mayor. A cautionary tale about parties built around a single person's credibility.