ChristenUnie, the left-leaning minor Christian party with five MPs in the current parliament, is calling for an €18 per hour minimum wage in its election manifesto.

The ChristenUnie demand tops that of the PvdA/GroenLinks combine and the Socialists, both of which are also calling for an increase in the minimum wage.

In addition, ChristenUnie, which is part of the outgoing coalition, wants to see health insurance premiums slashed to €50 a month, although the well-off will pay more.

The party says the increase in the minimum wage is essential to make sure that it pays people to work. “We don’t want anyone to fall through the safety net,” said campaign leader Mirjam Bikker at the manifesto launch. “Whether it be a family with children, someone with their first job or a pensioner.”

The party also wants to reform the current complex system of housing, healthcare and child benefits and replace them by tax cuts. Dental insurance should also be brought back into the basic health insurance package.

As in 2021, ChristenUnie also wants all contraception, including condoms to be fully paid for by health insurance as a way of reducing the abortion rate.

The far-right Forum voor Democratie also published its election plans on Thursday. These include a Nexit, the reopening of coal-fired power stations and the Groningen gas fields, and a ban on “transgender propaganda” in schools.

Party leader Thierry Baudet also unveiled plans to pay supporters for spreading FvD fund raising videos via social media. They will be entitled to 10% of the proceeds donated to the party’s campaign fund.