Of course, a lot of things happen around politics in the run-up to the elections. Every week, Sybrig van Keep briefly describes these developments: think of insights, highlighted events or interesting passages from party programs. In this way we would like to keep you informed of the latest news and interesting developments!
First party leader debate
There will be plenty of debates in the coming weeks. In this weekly update we will keep you informed about the themes of these debates and share further developments.
The North party leader debate took place on 8/2/2021. Not all party leaders were present: Pieter Omtzigt was present on behalf of the CDA and Sophie Hermans on behalf of the VVD.
The themes of the debates: A clear exit strategy for Covid-19, starters on the housing market, the sustainable energy transition from which citizens do not benefit enough, gas extraction in the Wadden Sea and finally, confidence in the government was discussed.
The surcharges affair and gas extraction in Groningen were mentioned as examples. Confidence in the government, together with agriculture, were the largest themes discussed on Monday afternoon. Wilders appealed to choose the people they trust. Klaver pointed out to the government that it does not want to run the risk of giving citizens too much allowance on one occasion, which indicates that the government also does not rely enough on trust in citizens.
Electoral lists
This last week before the recess, there are no huge debates on the agenda of the House of Representatives. But the commotion surrounding the elections is already starting to become noticeable. So has one record number of political parties registered for the elections. Of the 37 parties that have registered, many are 'well-known newcomers': parties that had already registered for previous elections but did not meet the electoral threshold. For example, Bij1, Code Oranje and De Feestfeest already participated in the 2017 elections. There are also some striking new parties, such as Vrij en Sociaal Nederland (VSN) and the Blanco list with Zeven, AJLB, as the first candidate. This increase may be caused by the worsening polarization in society as a result of the corona pandemic. In any case, it is clear that Dutch citizens have a lot to choose from on March 17, the formal date for the elections.
Delay?
As the elections get closer, the call for postponing the elections also increases. So far, outgoing Minister Ollongren has not wanted to go along with this, although she does indicate that she will keep an eye on the progress of the virus. The Senate passed the special corona election law two weeks ago, which means that the election dates are March 15, 16 and 17 and the 2.4 million people aged 70 and older can also vote by letter. Although the election recess has begun, political campaigns will only intensify.
Gas extraction
Last week it was announced that the parliamentary inquiry into the gas extraction in Groningen, which was established in March 2019, will last approximately two years. The first public hearings will begin after the elections in June 2022 and the final report is expected in February 2023.
Election programs
Below are brief summaries of the election manifestos of the political parties. We have chosen to feature approximately three parties in each newsletter, so that the information density can be prevented from being too high and the most important parties are still discussed before the elections take place. This newsletter discusses SGP, DENK and ChristenUnie.
ChristianUnion
ChristianUnion freedom of religion and education are central. In addition, the party wants to maintain solidarity by giving villages, districts, neighborhoods and citizen cooperatives more support. Care must also be organized closer to the region. The party is against euthanasia for the elderly and abortion. According to the party, the loan system must be abolished, prostitution tackled and society made drug-free. The migration problems are solved by combating labor migration. In addition, vulnerable refugees must be generously admitted to small-scale local shelters, instead of large asylum seeker centers. The minimum wage must increase, just like social assistance. The party wants to overturn the tax system and create a system in which families and singles are taken into account without allowances, but a simple basic discount that is paid out monthly. The housing market must become more accessible to starters and young families and unfair differences between buyers and tenants must disappear. The party is also a supporter of a circular economy, a climate-neutral society and circular agriculture. In addition, the party wants more cooperation in Europe on migration, climate and foreign policy, but also more national control over European decisions.
THINK
Think has called the election program Think Differently. For example, the party wants to introduce a reverse burden of proof, where institutions must demonstrate that they do not discriminate. The party wants to do this by reserving 1 billion euros for this purpose and also 500 agents who are specifically responsible for combating discrimination and racism. The party also wants to increase the minimum wage, abolish the deductible and limit rent increases. The student loan system must be abolished and the affected students must be compensated. The party sees immigration as a strength and core value of the Netherlands and wants to invest more in community police officers and more accessible police stations. In addition, they want to make SMEs stronger by reducing bureaucracy, improving lending and reducing costs. The party also wants more emphasis on the climate and dealing with it responsibly.
SGP
The SGP has faith as its starting point in these difficult times. The party does not want euthanasia for the elderly, but rather more support for people with a death wish. Abortion should also be abolished and vaccinations should not be forced. In addition, advertisements for adultery should be banned and traditional family values strengthened. The tax burden on single-income households must be reduced and child benefit and child-related budgets must be increased. The party is also of the opinion that the influence of Islam must be limited, that the Euro has no future economically and financially and that an alternative must therefore be looked at and more money must go to defense in order to purchase more materials and employ more people. can be trained. Refugee flows must be limited, but refugees in need of help must always have a place in the Netherlands.
Polls: what are the latest updates?
In the orange bar you can see the latest polls (January 28, 2021). The blue bar shows the current distribution of seats in the House of Representatives. Compared to last week, no new polls have been announced from EenVandaag or Kantar. There may be fluctuations in the debates in the coming weeks. So keep an eye on the upcoming updates for new polls!
Carola Schouten
(#2 Christian Union Candidate List)
Born: October 6, 1977, Den Bosch
residence: Rotterdam
Course: Business Administration, Tel Aviv University,
Business Administration, Erasmus University
Functions: Policy officer work and income, Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment (2000-2006)
Senior policy officer for finance, Christian Union House of Representatives (2006-2011)
Member of the House of Representatives, Christian Union (2011-2017)
Minister of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality (2017 – present)
Tunahan Kuzu
(#2 Candidate List DENK)
Born: Istanbul, June 5, 1981
residence: Rotterdam
Course: Public Administration (Public Policy), Erasmus University
Function: Independent public sector advisor “Proven Recipe, Research & Advice”, 2011-2012
Member of the House of Representatives, 2012-Present
Group chairman Group Kuzu/Öztürk, 2014-2017
DENK faction chairman, 2017-2020 (Temporarily resigned in 2018)
Don Cedar
(#4 Christian Union Candidate List)
Born: Amsterdam, October 20, 1989
residence: Amsterdam
Course: LLM Crime and Law, Vrije Universiteit;
Postgraduate vocational training in legal profession; Extension Graduation Course in International Relations, Harvard University
Functions:
Lawyer at Ceder Advocatuur, 2015-present
Member of the Advisory Board at VU, 2018-present
Member of the Supervisory Board at the Fund for Cultural Participation, 2018-present
Group leader CU Amsterdam, 2018-present.
Chris Stoffer
(#2 Candidate List SGP)
Born: Harderwijk, September 19, 1974
residence: Elspeet
Course: Civil engineering, University of Twente
Functions: Director of roads and traffic & Director of network management Rijkswaterstaat 2013-2018
Member of the House of Representatives – 2018-present
February 10, 6:30 PM – Young climate movement organizes election debate with climate candidates (can be followed online - at Young Climate Movement?)
February 12, 12:00 – Real Estate Association VBO oorganizes election debate on housing market
February 12, 8:00 PM: Foreign debate in the Bali
February 16 6:30 PM – FemCity Work is political debate in Pakhuis de Zwijger
February 17, 10:00 AM – NWO organizes election debate on the future of research
February 18 – AGRO NL organizes the election debate on the future of agriculture
February 23, 3:30 PM: Food election debate: Members of Parliament, current and future, will debate the role of the government in the Dutch food system.
February 23, 6:30 PM: FemCity Health is political debate in Pakhuis de Zwijger
February 25, 7:30 PM: Candidate MPs go during the Great Drug Debate in conversation about the future of Dutch medicines policy.
February 25, 8:00 PM: The (un)reliable government: conversation about, among other things, the allowances with Pieter Omtzigt.
Given the large amount of data planned, we are now only showing data from the next two weeks. New dates will of course be added next week!
At communications consultancy Issuemakers we advise and support organizations that have or want to make a social impact. We do this by monitoring, managing and creating social and political issues for them. Our advice, campaigns, lobbying processes and strategies incorporate various disciplines, such as: Public Relations, Public Affairs, Stakeholder management, Reputation management, Corporate Communication and Crisis communication.
