The BoerBurgerBeweging (BBB) ​​can become the largest in no less than ten provinces in the Provincial Council elections, according to the polls of research agency I&O Research. It will be a battle between BBB, VVD and the joint front PvdA and GroenLinks. But whether BBB, as the winner, can really bring about change, is not expected, among others, by chairman Frank van Dalen of the Political Academy Foundation.
CDA deputy in Limburg Madeleine van Toorenburg also does not believe that BBB’s profit will lead to major changes. Van Toorenburg refers to Forum for Democracy, which received the most votes as a newcomer in the previous elections, but subsequently failed to prove itself.
‘It was a drama, the FvD fell apart quite quickly,’ says Van Toorenburg. The deputy finds this a worrying development for parties that only focus on one or a few interests. ‘The BBB has one interest: the farmers. I see that happening more and more often, but working together makes it a lot more complicated for parties that want to focus on multiple fronts. We don’t really know yet how we can deal with this development,’ says Van Toorenburg.
Middle parties on
That is why Van Dalen and Van Toorenburg believe that it is precisely the middle parties that have the right to move. ‘They have to translate the counter-reaction from the left and right into their day-to-day policy,’ says Van Dalen. This way more balance can be created. ‘Provided the parties do what they promise and think more carefully about the effect of policy on the future,’ says Van Dalen.
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