PvdA alderman Rehsma Roopram from Barendrecht is running for the presidency of the PvdA. The 43-year-old driver announced this on Twitter. Earlier this week already registered there the chairman of the Hilversum PvdA department, Binnert de Beaufort.
There are now five candidate presidents. Recently Pieter-Paul Slikker (campaign strategist and party leader in Den Bosch), Gerard Bosman (representative of the left wing of the party) and organizational expert Frank van der Wolde (outspoken supporter of a merger between the PvdA and GroenLinks) came forward.
Against merger
Rehsma Roopram is in favor of collaborating with other left-wing parties and organizations, but against a merger. According to her, the PvdA must ensure that the government is there for everyone and people who cannot make it receive help and support.
Roopram says that during her travels as Miss Universe – in 2001 she was proclaimed Miss Universe Netherlands – she has seen with her own eyes “how necessary social democracy is to combat inequality”. According to her, climate policy should “not be at the expense of the wallets of low and middle incomes”.
Common interest
Binnert de Beaufort, lecturer in journalism at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, argues for a reappraisal of the public interest. “People crave a vision of what binds us,” says the 50-year-old candidate for president. “We are facing big problems, such as the climate crisis. When I see that it is 50 degrees in Canada, I am very concerned about the world of our children. But the government neglects the public interest.”
De Beaufort is not necessarily in favor of a merger with GroenLinks. “But when I see how minimal the differences are, a merger seems inevitable in the long run.”
presidential election
The members of the PvdA will choose their new chairman in September. It cannot be ruled out that more candidates will come forward to succeed the current chairman, Nelleke Vedelaar. She is not eligible for re-election.
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