News: Election news on Sargasso (NL), follow the elections (NL), an update on candidates (NL)
Polls: Peil.nl (NL), Politieke barometer (NL)
General: Report on voter mobilisation (EN), Electoral council (NL), Previous elections (EN)

‘Flush your poll card down the toilet’

8 June, 2010 - 08:13 |
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Rutte, Cohen or Balkenende: according to many anarchists, it is six of one and half a dozen of the other. The Anarchist Group Amsterdam (AGA) calls on Amsterdammers to throw away their poll cards. Others go one step further and suggest sabotaging polling stations. “We’re not against democracy, but we think this is a travesty.”

In national elections, one in five voters stay at home. A small percentage of them – probably not more than 5% of non-voters – avoid the polling station on principle. Anarchists have launched a number of initiatives to increase this percentage.

PvdA snubs Amsterdammers

24 April, 2010 - 14:34 |
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The PvdA has given Khadija Arib, John Leerdam and Mei Li Vos a low position on its list of candidates because the party does not want too many Amsterdammers prominently on its list, Het Parool reports today. The newspaper suggests that Jacques Monasch has taken up residence in Friesland in an attempt to improve his chances.

The Amsterdammer Monasch plans to move to Sneek, but has already taken up residence at the address of a Frisian fellow party member. He insists that his change of address has nothing to do with his candidacy for Parliament. Anyway, his new Frisian background does not seem to have helped him much; he is number 29 on the draft list of candidates, just above Arib (30).

Cohen a ‘multikultureller Schmusebär’

13 March, 2010 - 15:43 |
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After Social Democrat party leader Wouter Bos announced yesterday that he will step down, Amsterdam’s mayor Job Cohen said he is a candidate to succeed Bos. Somewhat prematurely, the New York Times reports that Cohen has already become the new leader of the Social Democrats.

Is Jude Kehla really a council member?

12 March, 2010 - 16:47 |
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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 take on election

28 February, 2010 - 20:00 |
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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.

VVD and CDA are men’s parties

28 February, 2010 - 11:26 |
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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.

Amsterdam, city of my dreams

27 February, 2010 - 19:03 |
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Party leaders present their dreams for the city. Maurice Limmen (CDA), Laurens Ivens (SP), Ageeth Telleman (D66), Lodewijk Asscher (PvdA), Eric van der Burg (VVD) and Maarten van Poelgeest (GroenLinks). Photo by Jos van Zetten. More in Image from Amsterdam.

Candidates: cut spending on civil servants

24 February, 2010 - 11:29 |
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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.

‘VVD campaigning in Turkish too’

17 February, 2010 - 22:01 |
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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.

St. Catharina School

14 February, 2010 - 12:54 |
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The CDA is campaigning at the St. Catharina School in Zuid. Photo from weblog Henk Boes. More in Image from Amsterdam.

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