Roman/Red

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Roman/Red (in Dutch Rooms/rood) is a the nickname of centre-left coalitions of catholic and social democratic parties in the Netherlands and Belgium. Roman refers to Roman-Catholic and Red to the colour of the Socialists. Between 1946 and 1958 the catholic KVP and the social-democratic PvdA formed the core of several 'Roman/red' cabinets, led by Willem Drees.

After the catholic KVP merged with the two Protestant parties to form the non-denominational CDA the term was used less in Dutch politics. In Belgian politics is still used to describe cabinets made up out of the catholic CD&V and CDh and the social-democratic SP.A and PS.