Anti-Islam PVV drops more prospective city councilors from candidate lists

After having to replace Géza Hegedüs as PVV faction leader in Rotterdam, the anti-Islam party now dropped two other names from its municipal elections candidate lists. Prospective city councilor Marie-Louise Kelderman was dropped from the candidate list in Rucphen. And Mohamed Shaief Aziem disappeared from the candidate list for The Hague.

Like Hegedüs, Kelderman was removed from the Rucphen list only one day after the candidates were announced, according to broadcaster NOS. She was the fifth candidate on the list. The PVV decided to drop her because of a Facebook post in which she described Prime Minister Mark Rutte as a fool who she wants to hang. She also called him a bastard and a dirty pervert.

Omroep Brabant wrote about this Facebook post after the Rucphen PVV candidates were presented on Monday. According to the broadcaster, Kelderman's candidacy was preceded by months of screening by the PVV. "All candidates have been googled, but unfortunately we did not see this", the party said in a short statement. The PVV Noord-Brabant also announced that the faction distances itself from any form of threat or violence.

Mohamed Shaief Aziem disappeared from the PVV candidate list for The Hague, because the PVV faction in the city hasn't had contact with him in weeks, newspaper AD reports. Faction leader and PVV parliamentarian Karen Gerbrands refused to comment to the newspaper on the matter.

According to the newspaper, Mohamed Shaief Aziem was part of a PVV training class, during which he renounced his Islamic faith. This resulted in his family and other Muslims shunning him. Gerbrands believed that he really renounced his faith and placed him in ninth place on the candidate list for the municipal election on March 21st. Since then he's disappeared without a trace, party members told the newspaper. Some in the party fear that he was a mole, according to AD.

There was already dissatisfaction within the PVV faction in The Hague. Several sources criticized faction leader Gerbrands and number two Willie Dille of authoritarian behavior, according to the newspaper. PVV leader Geert Wilders gave them free reign to make the candidate list for the city, and faction members accused them of putting rivals on the sidelines. "The critical people disappeared through this duo", a source in the faction said to AD. The politician predicts disappointing election results in March. "If you get four seats with this list it is a lot", the politician said. "Too bad it's all crumbling in this way."

Géza Hegedüs was dropped as PVV leader in Rotterdam last month after it was revealed that he expressed support for a Holocaust denier. The PVV leader in Utrecht, Henk van Deún, also caused a stir when he said he'd prefer to see a prominent mosque in the city go up in flames, though he hasn't been dropped from the candidate list. The mosque pressed charges against him.