Van Vroonhoven is NSC's leader, having succeeded its founder, Pieter Omtzigt, who left national politics due to burnout. She said in a written statement that she was unable to continue devoting 100% of herself to leading NSC into the next election. "I would have liked to be the head, but unfortunately, at this time, I cannot give 100 percent to the campaign," she added.



She has emphasized her initial goal of restoring NSC to its founding values — noting that a reduced number of NSC seats might even be a "relief." Looking back on her political life, she described the decision as difficult but perhaps "not entirely unexpected." She also expressed concerns about the toxic political climate in The Hague, which she said had affected her deeply, and called for more kindness in public life.



Van Hijum And Boomsma Present Themselves As Candidates For The Leadership
Eddy van Hijum, the demissionary Minister of Social Affairs and former CDA-member, also announced his candidacy late on Saturday. A close ally of Omtzigt, Van Hijum noted that the upcoming elections were "a huge challenge" and drew upon NSC's unsuccessful coalition negotiations with PVV, VVD, and BBB. "We will have a huge amount of work to do to rebuild trust in our party," he wrote.



Van Hijum said his leadership would be that of unifying and c.