5 months Ago
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 co-operative. And, in an indirect jab at the politics of division, he said, "Politics should pull out and amplify the good in us, not appeal to our bad instincts.
NSC parliamentary member Diederik Boomsma also entered the race. A former CDA faction leader in Amsterdam, Boomsma is now a parliamentarian for NSC. He called for the party to shift "in a social-conservative direction" and said he'd like to follow in Omtzigt's footsteps.
The Notice of Party Leadership Will Be Issued Shortly
NSC began taking applications for a new leader earlier this week, looking for a "charismatic and inspiring leader" who is a "strong communicator." The party, which under Omtzigt won 20 seats in the last election, is polling at somewhere between zero to two seats nationally.
The party board is set to endorse its choice on Tuesday. Rival candidates will then have a week to join the the official leadership race.
