Most VVD members no longer want Rutte as party leader in parliamentary elections, poll shows

Most VVD members believe that Prime Minister Mark Rutte should no longer be their party’s leader in the upcoming parliamentary elections, based on a poll by EenVandaag.

The TV program conducted a poll of nearly five hundred VVD members ahead of the party’s autumn congress, which takes place on Saturday. "They think that Mark Rutte has done a good job in the past 16 years as party leader, but think that it would be better for the party if this was his last term," the current affairs program wrote.

Many party members believe Rutte is hindering the implementation of VVD policies. The largest group, 37 percent, believes that the party has changed in a negative sense under Rutte since the elections. About two-thirds (65 percent) feel that the VVD's views are not sufficiently visible in government policy. Rutte has been chairman of the VVD since 2006.

The last parliamentary elections were held on March 17 last year, in which the VVD, led by Mark Rutte, became the largest party in parliament with 34 seats. The next parliamentary elections will be held in 2025, unless the Cabinet falls before then. The next elections are the provincial council elections on March 15 next year.

The confidence of VVD voters in Rutte has fallen sharply, the research shows. Last year May that was 96 percent, now it has dropped to 57 percent.

The survey was conducted November 14th to 18th as part of the EenVandaag opinion panel. The survey involved 4,865 people who voted for the VVD in the 2021 parliamentary elections and 471 VVD members. The opinion panel consists of 80,000 members.