Politics and Elections in the Netherlands: Rutte III era

[Diouf]

Segers says to Nederlands Dagblad that CU are not entering another cabinet with Rutte as PM. He states that cooperation with VVD in a new cabinet is still possible, but not with Rutte cause he is the poster boy of the political culture of the last ten years. A culture where elections are a nuisance and an interruption, and where opposition (i.e Omzigt) is impeded. The man responsible for that culture can not lead a cabinet, which have to change that culture.

Without CU's votes the other day, there had not been a majority to save Rutte in the vote of no confidence, so with Segers' statement it really seems like game over for Rutte.

[Diouf]

Vera Bergkamp from D66 was elected Speaker of parliament. She won 74 of the 139 votes cast in the secret ballot, defeating incumbent speaker Khadija Arib from PvdA (38 votes) and Martin Bosma from PVV (27 votes). While the ballot was secret, it sounds like Bergkamp was supported by D66, VVD and CDA. The last votes could be DENK, who obviously did not vote for Bosma and hates Arib after she criticized DENK heavily for their personalized attack videos on MPs from other parties with migrant background.

The 49-year old Bergkamp is by her own words: "I am a lesbian, half-Moroccan, but also a woman, a human being, an Amsterdam citizen and a citizen of the world." She has been a MP since 2012, before that she was leader of the Dutch LGBT advocacy group for four years.