Aug 20, 2023 at 10:06 PM Update: 8 hours ago
Pieter Omtzigt will participate in the elections of 22 November for the House of Representatives with his own party, New Social Contract. This turns the political playing field upside down.
Omtzigt announced his decision in an interview with Tubantia. “We’ve been preparing for a while,” he says. The party was founded on Saturday. The program is already complete, the list of candidates is not yet. It should become clear at the end of September how big his list will be.
Omtzigt’s decision changes the campaign. In a poll, Omtzigt was awarded 46 seats when participating. He calls this in the newspaper “unrealistic and not responsible”. Omtzigt also says he does not want to become prime minister and to remain in the Chamber if he is elected.
Spearheads of the newly founded party are “good governance” and “security of existence”. In addition, there is a third key point of the New Social Contract, namely “sensible international cooperation”. The latter concerns, among other things, Omtzigt’s concerns about the sustainability of the euro. In concrete terms, the party advocates, among other things, a constitutional court, a new electoral system and fewer information officers.
“These ideas not only demand something from the politicians in The Hague, but they also demand a contribution from everyone in the Netherlands. Only if society and politics work together can we provide houses, livelihoods and a mature, fair and open government.” said Omtzigt.
“Becoming the biggest is not the goal. We want to realize our ideals, not power for power,” he continued to tell the newspaper. “I have detailed plans and I would love it if other parties could join our plans so that we can work together.” He does not see coalition cooperation with the PVV and the Forum for Democracy happening.
Omtzigt left voters in uncertainty for a long time
He left his choice hanging over the market for a long time. Almost two years ago he returned to the Chamber after a burnout that followed a quarrel within the CDA, his former party. The CDA recently tried in vain to restore the tapes, but Omtzigt then announced that “the book is closed”.
The 49-year-old Omtzigt built up a reputation as a tenacious Member of Parliament. Together with Renske Leijten of the SP, he played a leading role in exposing the benefits scandal.
Omtzigt will be an important factor in the elections, which will be held on November 22. It is difficult to gauge exactly how popular Omtzigt is, because he had no party and it was unclear for a long time whether he would even participate in the elections.
It is a fact that Omtzigt single-handedly won enough votes for almost five seats in the parliamentary elections in March 2021. He was then still on the list of the CDA. The polls in which Omtzigt was included only confirm his popularity.
2023-08-20 20:06:15
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