Bruijn has been a senator since 2012 and president since 2019, during which time he has seen the usually tame debate in the Senate escalate. In October last year, the president of the VVD managed to provoke an uprising after denying the floor to PVV senator Marjolijn Faber. A rarity in the Senate. Despite this crassness, Bruijn wants to run for president again, in his own words because “everything” about the presidency is “nice.”
Opposing candidates
According to Bruijn, it is important that there is ‘a certain continuity’ in the presidency. However, he also hopes to meet opponents in June. “It would be good if there were several candidates, so that the House has something to choose from.”
According to Bruijn, there is still much work to be done in the Senate. ‘We evaluated ourselves last year, including our involvement in the benefits affair. We also dropped points there. We have to work hard to make what we do even better. I am happy to contribute to this as president.’
Province of importance
The Senate will be elected in stages by the new members of the Provincial Council, after the March 15 elections. Bruijn also underlines the importance of those elections. ‘In the province there are many things that affect people. Think about economics and security issues.’
He hopes voters do not undermine or underestimate the province’s importance. ‘I would advise people to think about provincial issues first. By extension, you also vote for the Senate and this is obviously important too.’