On Prinsjesdag, a group of between 10 and 15 VVD MPs will not listen to King Willem-Alexander’s Speech from the Throne. The MPs have declined the invitation for the opening of the parliamentary year on September 15 due to the corona epidemic, the spokesperson of the VVD faction confirms after a message from RTL News.
Because of the corona virus, the Speech from the Throne moved from the Ridderzaal to the Grote Kerk and the VVD people think that the one and a half meters distance cannot be properly maintained there. The number of guests has been reduced from more than a thousand to 250 guests, in order to be able to place all the chairs with sufficient distance from each other.
The 150 members of the House of Representatives, the 75 members of the Senate, the ministers from the cabinet, several members of the royal household and the presidents of the high councils of state have been invited, as have some fifteen citizens. The partners of the MPs, the secretaries of state, ambassadors and all kinds of social organizations must follow the Speech from the Throne on TV.
Own consideration
Declining the invitation is not a statement or a lack of confidence in the approach of Prinsjesdag, emphasizes the VVD spokesperson. “It is our own decision. We have confidence in the organization, it is not because of it. But it is very simple: the more people there are, the more difficult it will be to continuously maintain a meter and a half.”
It is not yet known whether there are also MPs from other political parties who do not want to go to the festive meeting.
Prinsjesdag has one this year very sober character to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The royal tour and the balcony scene have been removed from the program. King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima come by car, instead of the Glass Coach. The organization hopes this will prevent a massive influx of public.
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