CDA Chairman Hans Huibers Steps Down Amidst Controversy: Latest Updates

ANPCDA chairman Hans Huibers

NOS News•today, 21:43•Edited today, 22:53

CDA chairman Hans Huibers is stepping down, a spokesman for the party confirms to NOS after reporting from the AD. He says in a statement that he wanted to announce his departure at a party conference in September, but is already doing so after media reports “with half and whole untruths about things that would not have gone well”.

“Those who know me better know that it is not right. I cannot and do not want to work in such an environment,” says Huibers. In the statement, he also expresses the hope that the party will “stand behind the new party leader as one team”.

On Monday, the CDA will announce who will be the new party leader for the parliamentary elections in November. Huibers has recently been criticized for the procedure for that important political post. Many other parties have already announced their list leaders.

The national party board says in a response that Huibers “undertook initiatives under difficult circumstances to initiate the recovery of the party (…)”.

Vice chairman Mark Buck will be acting CDA chairman in the coming period, says the board. Buck was party leader in the Nijmegen city council until last year.

Unrest in the party

Huibers had been chairman of the party since 2021, after his predecessor Rutger Ploum left due to the disappointing results of the parliamentary elections. Huibers should ensure more peace in the party, but things are still rumbling internally.

Among other things, there was a lot of dissatisfaction within the party about the lack of visibility of party leader Wopke Hoekstra, who said last month that he would not become a party leader in the upcoming elections.

Party prominent Mona Keijzer canceled her membership last week. According to RTL News, she was critical of the possible candidacy of Nijmegen mayor Hubert Bruls. She would have expressed her criticism towards Huibers, but he would have pushed her opinion aside. Bruls previously told NOS that a list leader is not an issue as far as he is concerned.

2023-08-10 19:43:07
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