Forum for Democracy has announced the five names of the candidates for the new Senate. The party has opted for Forum politicians who have been with the party for some time, for example in the Senate and House of Representatives, the Provincial Council and the city council. Party leader Baudet announced this on the members’ day in The Hague. The complete list will be presented on Monday.
Number one, as announced, is Johan Dessing, who is already chairman of the FvD party in the Senate. In 2019, the new party won 12 seats in the Senate, as many as the VVD. But due to various conflicts, a total of eleven senators left the party. Only Dessing remained.
Entrepreneur Joris van den Oetelaar, now a Member of Parliament in Brabant, is at number 2. Number 3, Simone Kerseboom, comes from the House of Representatives. She is not working in The Hague now, because she has extended her maternity leave. Kerseboom is also a member of the Provincial Council of Limburg, where she has returned to work.
Current press officer Tom Russcher is number four. Anton van Schijndel, party chairman of FvD in Amsterdam, is in fifth place.
In function
On March 20, 2019, more than one million Dutch people voted for the Forum for Democracy. It earned the party 86 seats in the Provincial Council. There are now only 24 Members of Parliament left in office.
The Senate will be elected on May 30 by the members of the Provincial Council, who were again elected on March 15. The list of Provincial States members of FvD was already announced at the party congress in November.
Forumland
The party wants to focus on more direct democracy, stricter border controls and stopping the climate and nitrogen plans in the upcoming elections, according to the press release of the five candidates.
The party has been working for some time on the steady establishment of a ‘Forumland’, as was already apparent at the party congress in November. Party leader Baudet wants a “parallel society” for like-minded people, with its own Forum School and a Forum app group where supporters can get in touch with each other.
- Baudet searches for ‘his’ Forum through loyal members and conspiracy theories
- FvD is steadily working on ‘Forumland’, it appears at a well-attended party conference
