Dec 19, 2023 at 3:42 PM Update: 15 minutes ago
The House of Representatives agreed on Tuesday to suspend FVD MPs Thierry Baudet, Freek Jansen and Gideon van Meijeren for a week. They have not reported their additional activities in addition to Chamber membership. This means that the entire FVD faction has been suspended.
The punishment means that Baudet, Jansen and Van Meijeren are not allowed to participate in debates for seven calendar days. The trio may vote for laws and motions.
The FVD members have held a management position at a meal delivery company since December 2022. They now have to officially report their side activities and will be reprimanded because they have violated the code of conduct.
GL-PvdA, VVD, NSC, D66, CDA, SP, CU, Volt, PvdD, SGP and DENK (together 99 seats) voted in favor of the suspension. It was striking that the recently elected House Speaker Martin Bosma of the PVV also voted in favor of the proposal. His other 33 fellow party members in the PVV faction did not agree.
“You can make a note if there is a group vote,” Bosma explained. “That’s what happened to this one.” This means that exactly two-thirds of the House voted in favor of the suspension.
Van Meijeren said in advance in an explanation of vote that it is “not up to MPs to monitor each other and hold each other accountable”. According to him, the House must control the government and be accountable to the voter.
The FVD MP received an extra slap on the fingers because he had also not declared his activities and income as a councilor for the municipality of The Hague and a member of Parliament for the province of South Holland.
Baudet suspended for a second time
The suspension is on the recommendation of an independent board, which has been monitoring compliance with integrity rules since April 2021. That board was established by the House of Representatives itself, but does not consist of MPs.
Anyone can file a complaint against MPs if they are suspected of not complying with the integrity rules. Additional income must be disclosed to avoid conflicts of interest.
It is the second time for Baudet to be suspended for not complying with the Chamber rules. The first time also involved not reporting his side activities.
Ralf Dekker also did not pass on his side activities. But because Dekker has no longer been an FVD MP since April, the council had not given any advice to suspend him.
FVD members have been confronted several times for not complying with the rules
The (former) MPs have been confronted several times by the committee for not complying with the rules. They were also asked for text and explanation, but there was no response.
The council recommended a heavier punishment because Baudet, Jansen and Van Meijeren refused any form of cooperation. The trio would “not or insufficiently” understand that MPs must adhere to the rules.
2023-12-19 15:52:10
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