Especially VVD under fire in the first election debate on TV

In the first television debate in the run-up to the Provincial Council elections on 15 March, the government party VVD in particular came under fire. Right-wing opposition parties PVV and JA21 attacked the liberals on topics such as migration and security, but GroenLinks and coalition partners D66 and CDA also aimed their arrows at the VVD.

Omroep WNL had invited six party leaders for the Senate elections to debate with each other. The Senate is elected at the end of May by the members of the Provincial Council and the electoral colleges of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, Saba and Dutch citizens abroad. Elections are scheduled for March 15.

The coalition parties again proved to be very divided on the subject of nitrogen. Edith Schippers, the leader of the VVD, received a lot of criticism when she refused to make a choice with the statement ‘Ignoring nitrogen targets for 2030 is creating a standstill’, introduced by D66. “I am not voting on a statement that is so clearly intended only to polarize,” she explained her refusal. According to her, it is a sham contradiction.

“Typically VVD”, thought Marjolein Faber (PVV): “Don’t want to make a choice.” Paul Rosenmöller of GroenLinks pointed out to Schippers that she simply has to vote in the Senate. CDA party leader Theo Bovens voted against the statement, because the year of 2030 to achieve the goals is not sacred as far as he is concerned, but the goal is. “If it costs an extra year, we shouldn’t be difficult about it.”

“What kind of coalition is this?” Rosenmöller wondered. “D66 is for, the CDA against and the VVD is divided to the bone.” The goal of halving nitrogen emissions in seven years is stated in the coalition agreement. “But you can’t figure it out,” said Rosenmöller.

D66 member Van Meenen, who had introduced the statement, warned of a “blockbus from the far right” that could soon stop nitrogen policy in the Senate. He was referring to JA21, BBB and the PVV.

According to PVV party leader Faber, the VVD does not dare to say that the nitrogen targets actually serve to drive farmers away to make room for housing status holders and asylum seekers.

Annabel Nanninga, the leader of JA21, attacked the VVD on the so-called distribution law, which should make it easier to force municipalities to build an asylum seekers’ center. At the same time, Prime Minister Rutte promises measures to limit the influx of asylum seekers.

“The VVD has been promising this for twelve years,” said Nanninga. “But Rutte is not doing anything. The influx is structurally higher under him than under Prime Minister Balkenende.” JA21 wants to introduce an asylum freeze. VVD party leader Schippers pointed out that the influx has decreased in the past due to the deal with Turkey to receive refugees there. According to her, that is also Rutte’s merit.

Schippers himself argued that people who abuse social workers such as police officers and ambulance personnel should no longer be given community service, but should always go to jail. A law that regulates this fell earlier in the Senate, partly because D66 and GroenLinks voted against it. “Impossible”, thought Schippers.

But according to those parties, it should remain up to the judge to decide whether a community service order is appropriate, because he knows all the details of a case. Sometimes a community service order is chosen because a prison sentence increases the chance that someone will commit a new offense, they argued.

In the polls, the VVD seems to be number 1 again, but the combination of GroenLinks and PvdA also hopes to become the largest. In addition, the PVV and newcomer BBB are on a profit.

The elections for the Provincial Council are therefore on March 15. What are the provinces about, what themes are there to choose from? A short explanation: