Direct selection of members of the party leadership has been introduced recently in various European countries. In Dutch political parties a wave of primaries stqrted from 2002 onwards, for the political leaders or the party chair (political secretary general) or both. In some parties it has been introduced at the regional (provincial) and the local level.
This paper explores the reasons why primaries have been introduced, when they were held, how they were organised and what their impact has been on internal party affairs and on the political system as a whole. It concludes by confronting party types from the scholarly litterature with this phenomenon of giving a greater (formal) say to members in internal party affairs.
