The Forum for Democracy (FVD) has clarified that it does not have a formal policy of blocking candidates who win council seats through preferential votes. While Dutch electoral law allows voters to promote specific candidates higher up a party’s list, the FVD has confirmed that these individuals are generally permitted to take their seats. However, the party admitted that in several municipalities, candidates were specifically asked to step aside, leading some to join their local councils without consulting the party leadership first.
A spokesperson for the FVD identified eleven municipalities where candidates successfully entered local government via preferential voting. In the towns of Hoogeveen, Venlo, and Steenwijkerland, some of these successful candidates chose to leave the party altogether before being sworn in. In Hoogeveen, specifically, candidates who won through personal votes claimed they were pressured by the party to hand over their seats to colleagues who had originally been ranked higher on the official candidate list.
The party maintains that these requests are not part of a blanket rule but are instead a “tailored approach” used in unique circumstances. According to the spokesperson, any request for a candidate to decline a seat is based on the specific details of the case and the agreements made with those candidates before the election took place.
@anp | NEWS BRAINPORT
