Election watch: VVD says no again; fewer women candidates

With 11 days left to the Dutch general election, here is a round-up of Saturday’s main election news: 

Yesilgöz again says no to GroenLinks-PvdA

VVD leader Dilan Yesilgöz has again ruled out joining a left-wing coalition, telling supporters in Oosterhout, Noord-Brabant, that her party will only take part in a centre-right government.

She said a centre-right majority was still within reach. “We only need a few more seats,” she told the crowd, echoing VVD number two Ruben Brekelmans, who told a television talk show on Friday evening the party will not enter a coalition with GroenLinks-PvdA, CDA and D66.

Yesilgöz said it remains unclear whether D66 and the CDA will move left or right after the election, but insisted that voters know exactly where the VVD stands.

Fewer women on election lists 

Only a little over a third of candidates for next month’s general election are women, according to research by Stem op een Vrouw and the ANP news agency. The highest proportion – just over half – are on the GroenLinks-PvdA and pro-animal PvdA lists.

D66 and Volt each have equal numbers of men and women, while the SGP has none at all – as a matter of party policy.

Five of the parties currently in parliament are led by women in this election: Dilan Yesilgöz (VVD), Caroline van der Plas (BBB), Mirjam Bikker (ChristenUnie), Esther Ouwehand (PvdS and Lidewij de Vos (Forum voor Democratie). Ten candidates identify as non-binary or genderqueer.