The PvdA faction was shocked when 59-year-old Ploumen suddenly reported in the weekly group meeting this morning that she is stepping down as leader and immediately leaving the House of Representatives. She was at the helm of the party for fifteen months after Lodewijk Asscher resigned because of the allowance affair.
Colleagues were sad, says deputy party chairman Henk Nijboer, together with Kati Piri one of the few who knew a little earlier that Ploumen no longer wanted to continue.
Not the ideal leader
“We asked her if she was sure, but she couldn’t change her mind,” says Nijboer. Her decision was made and he respects it. “It was really her own decision,” he emphasizes. “She herself came to the conclusion that it is not as she expected. There is nothing to blame her.”
Ploumen showed a remarkable amount of self-reflection in her statement. She acknowledged that she fell short† “The leadership of the party does not suit me well and I am not the ideal leader of our party,” she said.
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A PvdA MP who does not want to be named says she thinks her decision is brave. “It shows real leadership. Many men in The Hague can take an example from this. It really came like a bolt from the blue, we were in the group looking at each other with open mouths.”
‘Too hard on himself’
Political buddy Jesse Klaver (GroenLinks) received a phone call from ‘girlfriend’ Ploumen last night. GroenLinks and the PvdA decided to collaborate intensively last year. What this means for their marriage? “It’s not a marriage between two people, but between two movements,” says Klaver. He assumes that he will continue the collaboration with Ploumen’s successor. “I think she’s too hard on herself. I think it’s stupid, we’re still friends.”
Not everyone is equally mourning her departure. Former party chairman Hans Spekman previously called the PvdA under Ploumen ‘dead water’. “I really appreciate that she wanted to pull the cart after the departure of Lodewijk Asscher,” he says now. “But she just fell short in breadth, especially socio-economically. It’s good that she dares to acknowledge that herself.”
Group in confusion
An influential PvdA member says about this: “Ploumen’s self-reflection is correct, but at the moment we are dealing with a group in confusion. And leaving a party in confusion like this, I think is extremely irresponsible and selfish.” Six months more or less would not have made a difference, says the PvdA member. “She just didn’t feel like it anymore.”
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A veteran says: “One of the party members hinted last week that things were not going well in the group. And I heard before that Ploumen was very insecure and that took it out on others. At some point, of course, enough.”
Word
According to the PvdA member, there is still a lot of grumbling about how Ploumen would have ‘gave it away’ in the formation. Under her leadership, the PvdA and GroenLinks wanted to act as one during the formation. As a result, cabinet participation became virtually impossible for the PvdA. “Of course everyone is now saying that it is courageous and that she is vulnerable. But I think it is cowardly. You abandon your party while the next parliamentary elections are in three years.”
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Who will succeed her? The group will soon elect a new chairman. Names mentioned are experienced leaders such as Attje Kuiken, Khadija Arib and Henk Nijboer, or the newer MP Kati Piri. No one wants to say anything about that right now. “Now is not the time for that,” he said.
Placing a recognizable party
Another PvdA MP: “Today is Lilianne’s day. Tomorrow we can start thinking about how to proceed. I do not expect it to be immediately clear who will be the successor. There are not elections in two months’ time, so there is no need for that.” directly. The faction really does not immediately run into seven ditches at the same time.”
According to former party chairman Spekman, it is important that someone comes who can give the PvdA face and profile again. “That’s why we shouldn’t talk about left-wing mergers for the time being. That may come at some point, but that has to be from its own profile. First create a recognizable party for people who are having such a hard time.”
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