Thierry Baudet is stepping down as party chairman of Forum for Democracy. Yesterday it was announced that he will no longer be a party leader or party leader. According to a spokesman, it had been agreed within the party administration that he would remain chairman. But the board has now announced that Baudet will also step down from the chair.
Vice-chairman Lennart van der Linden will take up that position for the time being. “In the coming period, work will be done on a good and careful transition,” says the board.
Youth Department
The immediate reason for Baudet’s resignation as leader of Forum yesterday was the unrest about the youth division of the party, which had been discredited by anti-Semitic and homophobic app traffic. Baudet first wanted to wait for an investigation and spoke of ‘trial by media’.
But even when things happened that were unacceptable, he said he wanted to take his political responsibility. Baudet will remain in the Chamber.
Eerdmans wants to become party leader
The party board now gives priority to appointing a new party leader and drawing up a list of candidates. Former MP Joost Eerdmans wants to take the place of Baudet as party leader. Eerdmans was in fourth place on the original candidate list.
He is now leader of Liveable Rotterdam in the Rotterdam city council. He was previously a member of the House of Representatives, mainly for the LPF. Eerdmans says he can connect and that he is motivated to “attack the left wing and take away seats there”.
Youth chairman Jansen not on the House list
Freek Jansen, chairman of the youth department of Forum, will not be on the list for the House. There was some confusion about that yesterday. The board has now confirmed that Jansen has made his place available and that the board has accepted this.
The board also says that the events surrounding the youth department have such a negative effect on the party that it has been put “at a distance” until further notice.
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