To The Hague?
8 August 2006 - On the authority of
Intermediair Magazine, het Parool reports that the following Amsterdammers
are available to become candidates for the Parliamentary Elections,
which will probably be held on 22 November:
• Hester Maij (CDA), currently member of the city council.
Reportedly, she was put forward as a candidate by the provincial
party branch, in collaboration with the Christian-Democrat Women’s
Foundation. “And for the rest, I do not know what the procedure
is like. We will see”.
• Joop van Riessen (VVD), former police commissioner.
• Karina Schaapman (PvdA), member of the city council.
Earlier, the newspaper reported that two other Amsterdammers would
like to go to The Hague:
• Ageeth Telleman (D66), currently chairwoman of the Amsterdam
party branch.
• Boris van der Ham (D66), already a member of parliament.
Two potential candidates have announced that they are not available:
• Haci Karacaer (PvdA), until recently leader of the Turkish
Milli Görüs organisation. He would have been approached
by PvdA party leader Wouter Bos.
• Eddy Terstall (PvdA), movie director. Would have been approached
by Bos as well. According to regional broadcaster RTV NH, Terstall
first wants to finish his political satire Vox Populi. He blames
‘policy makers in the movie world’ for making it impossible
for him to finish the film in time to be able to participate in
the elections.
UPDATE 9 August 2006 – NRC Handelsblad reports
today that almost all current VVD MP’s are available as candidates
for the November elections. Party leader Mark Rutte would owe too
many people favours, which could mean that the intended renewal
of the party will be frustrated. The following Amsterdammers would
like to return after the elections:
• Laetitia Griffith. Recently, she left the Amsterdam City
Council, after discovering that a position as Alderwoman would not
become available. This time as well, her loyalty is not absolute:
“In the end, the members who attend the general meeting decide
the definitive order of the list of candidates. When that has been
decided, I can choose whether or not to accept that place”.
• Anton van Schijndel. Like most colleagues, he would like
to continue: “There are all kinds of issues that I am still
working on”.
UPDATE 14 August 2006 –
At5 reports that Hester Maij is not available for Parliament after
all. Contrary to earlier reports she decided against it, because
she “was chosen as party leader of the CDA in Amsterdam to
promote the interests of the city”. She would also want to
stay in Amsterdam for personal reasons.
UPDATE 15 August 2006 –
The CDA has today announced who will be recommended as a candidate.
The list contains two Amsterdammers:
• Joop Wijn, Minister of Economic Affairs. Until recently,
he was State Secretary of Finance, but when D66 left the cabinet,
the place of Minister Laurens-Jan Brinkhorst became available.
• Karien van Gennip, State Secretary of Economic Affairs.
UPDATE 25 August 2006 - Today,
Geert Wilders announced the candidates of his right-wing populist
Freedom Party. The list includes:
• Raymond de Roon, Sollicitor-General
• Hero Brinkman,
hard-line policeman
UPDATE 6 September 2006 –
More information about candidates has become available:
• Anton van Schijndel (VVD) has had a meeting with the right-wing
populist EénNL party founded by Marco Pastors and Joost Eerdmans.
He was not content with his 35th position on the draft list of candidates
– not high enough to be elected according to the current polls.
He also thinks that the party is too moderated on minorities and
Europe and that Minister Rita Verdonk has too little influence on
the party. Today, the Volkskrant reported that Van Schijndel will
be put on the spot by party leader Mark Rutte.
• Former police commissioner Joop van Riessen had proposed
himself as a candidate, but he has not been selected. The leader
of the Amsterdam VVD, Eric van der Burg, told the Parool that not
selecting Van Riessen was ‘the most unpleasant part’
of the list of candidates.
• The capital has a strong presence on the D66 draft list.
The second position is occupied by Ageeth Telleman, at present chairwoman
of the Amsterdam party branch. The third place is occupied by Amsterdammer
Kajsa Ollongren, currently high-ranking civil servant at the Department
of Economic Affairs. The current MP Boris van der Ham for now has
to be content with a sixth place, but he hopes to improve his position
by mobilising member.
• The Socialist Party (SP) has five Amsterdammers and a former
Amsterdam council member on its proposed list of candidates. It
regards Harry van Bommel (former council member), Ewout Irrgang,
Ronald van Raak (currently member of the Senate) and the current
council members Jasper van Dijk and Sadet Karabulut. At the bottom
of the list is the Amsterdam theologian, poet and writer Huub Oosterhuis.
Local party chairman Laurens Ivens is not concerned about the possible
departure of two council members: “Fortunately, we recruited
good candidates for the city council last year, with many people
who have the required capacities and enthousiasm. We will therefore
be able to quickly fill the void that Jasper and Sadet will hopefully
create by other passionate members of the SP”.
UPDATE 6 September 2006 - The
VVD has removed Anton van Schijndel from the party and from the
list of candidates.
UPDATE 14 September 2006 –
The Amsterdam VVD calls on its members to support the candidates
from Amsterdam, for ‘we find a liberal Amsterdam voice in
Parliament very important’. The list contains six Amsterdammers:
Laetitia Griffith, Wiet de Bruijn, Oswald Schwirtz, Pieter Litjens,
Bas Mouton en Anoushka Schut-Welkzijn.
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