Politicians promoting nightlife, Jesus, blackface Zwarte Piet set for city elections

In addition to more established political parties, several attention-grabbing local parties will also compete in the municipal elections this March.

Many different smaller parties will try their luck in Amsterdam, where a total of 26 parties will run for election. De FeestPartij (The Party Party) is led by Üresin Deniz, known as the “laughing gas king.” His group is running in support of the entertainment sector on behalf of party founder Johan Vlemmix. Vlemmix himself is participating in De FeestPartij in Eindhoven.

Former Forum voor Democratie politician Henk Otten, who was expelled from the party in 2019, is in the running in Amsterdam with his Group Otten (GO). He argues for the abolition of all kinds of "superfluous administrative bodies" and he is in favor of holding elections to determine the mayor, instead of the current system of appointment.

Three parties –– De Groenen (The Greens), Basisinkomen Partij (Basic Income Party) and Piratenpartij (Pirate Party) –– have also joined forces and are competing as De Groenen Basis Piraten. The young people of LEF also hope for a place on city councils in Amsterdam and The Hague.

In 18 municipalities, including Amersfoort, Urk and Tholen, the party Jezus Leeft (Jesus Lives) is on the list, with only one program item: “Follow Jesus.” The party wrote on its website, "It's about ruling as Jesus wants."

A party on the ballot in Amersfoort is calling itself Zwarte Piet is Zwart, a saying commonly used by advocates who insist that the Piet characters which assist Sinterklaas maintain their blackface look. This typically includes chocolate brown face makeup, a black curly wig, prominent red lips, and large gold hoop earrings, along with a buffoonish attitude. Party leader Gimo Baram hopes to attract voters from the right-wing spectrum, because PVV and FvD will not participate in the city. Baram himself is of Kurdish descent but is committed to "preserving our Dutch values and traditions,” he recently said to AD.

The ballot in The Hague features de Nationale Bond tegen Overheidszaken (National Bond against Government Affairs), which opposes, among other things, the coronavirus measures and the introduction of the 5G telecommunications network. The activist party calls the government a criminal organization and no longer wants to finance it through taxes.

Utrecht can cast a vote for the colorful street musician Marcello van der Wal, who always wears shorts. He is the only candidate on an otherwise blank slate and his program points could not be determined. In Hoorn, Eenhoorn is participating in a party that, in its own words, is "averse to the situation in The Hague.” 

The dryly-named Partij voor de Inwoners in Noordwijk (Party for the Inhabitants in Noordwijk), according to its website, puts "its own citizens first", and Doen!, from the same coastal community, pledges to engage in “positive politics” with a women-only list.