The collaboration between PvdA and GroenLinks is starting to take shape after yesterday’s vote. Yesterday both parties announced that they will participate in the upcoming November elections with a single list. The large majority of PvdA and GroenLinks members voted in favour. “They had the idea of floating on an ice floe towards summer,” says political scientist Menno Hurenkamp of the University of the Humanities.
Hurenkamp calls the collaboration ‘a kind of cheerful necessity’, separately the parties would have little to gain, now they have the opportunity to become the largest party. “It may turn out to be not such a crazy move at all,” says Hurenkamp.
The political scientist calls voters spoiled and passionate about everything new. And this left collaboration is certainly new and promising. Neither PvdA nor GroenLinks managed to make a new sound, now “good vibes” are emerging. In particular, the suggestion that both parties could jointly become the largest, and thus supply the prime minister, could win over voters. People like to vote for prime minister, says Hurenkamp, referencing what Sigrid Kaag has managed to achieve in elections for the electorate.
Bigger party
With the promise of becoming the largest party, PvdA and GroenLinks appeal to people who usually vote D66, SP or PvdD. “Then, of course, they add a few more seats. Of course there are also progressives who once voted CDA or what’s left of it and who might be tempted as well.’ According to Hurenkamp, SP and D66 are therefore not happy with this initiative. In any case, both parties will present a common list. It is not yet known who will be the leader of the party.
However, the one who does not return to the House of Representatives is GroenLinks MP Corinne Ellemeet. She will retire after the election. In a statement on Twitter, she likened parliamentary work to a “triple marathon” and expressed her concern about “the harsh climate in which politicians have to operate”.
Source: BNR
Fernando Dowling is an author and political journalist who writes for 24 News Globe. He has a deep understanding of the political landscape and a passion for analyzing the latest political trends and news.
