Elections

It is small beer compared to the election mess in Rotterdam, but Emile Jaensch (VVD) points out that a number of council members in Zuidoost have formally not been sworn in. Cause: they have not correctly taken the oath. “Incidentally, I’m not loosing sleep over this tonight.”

New council members may choose between the secular vow and the religious oath. When taking the oath, the first two fingers of the right hand must be held up.

Foreign media offer extensive coverage of the Dutch national political crisis, but they cover a few local issues as well. They are mainly interested in the debate on foreign-language campaign material and the suggestion to have gay men kiss the winner of the prologue of the Giro d’Italia. “The misses will be Italian and will be brought from Italy by us.”

The Netherlands will elect a new Parliament on 9 June, as a result of the fall of the cabinet over Uruzgan. However, there will be local elections first, on next Wednesday.

Among the candidates with a profile on News from Amsterdam, Ahu Sahin (D66, #4 for the city council) has so far been able to mobilise the largest number of online votes. The candidate who elicited the largest number of comments is Jeroen Mirck (also D66, #5 in Nieuw-West). Apparently, in some circles he is the guy we love to hate.

An analysis of 169 profiles reveals that one in three candidates is a woman. CDA and VVD are largely responsible for this. One in five CDA candidates is a woman and only one in seven VVD candidates. D66 and GroenLinks have more balanced lists with an almost equal number of men and women.

Candidate council members want to cut spending on civil servants. In addition, VVD members want to make cutbacks on subsidies, community centres, art and other ‘left-wing hobbies’. This is the outcome of an analysis of 169 candidate profiles published on the News from Amsterdam website.

PvdA leader Lodewijk Asscher is not impressed by criticism of his use of a Turkish brochure in his election campaign. Meanwhile, fellow party members argue that the VVD, which is critical of the Turkish-language campaign material, is itself campaigning in English, Chinese and Turkish.