Ouwehand wants to become party leader of Party for the Animals despite board decision

Esther Ouwehand wants to become party leader of the Party for the Animals. Earlier, the party board said it would no longer nominate her as party leader because it had received "signals and information" indicating integrity violations.

A report of a possible integrity violation was received in August. The matter was reported to the party's integrity commissioner. As a result, the party board eventually decided on Saturday not to nominate Ouwehand for the party leader position. According to them, it would not be “honorable" to nominate her after the reports. "It simply can't be done".

Ouwehand wrote in a statement that "until today, I have not received any report of an integrity violation against me." However, she wrote a letter to the party board on Friday in which she "strongly" criticized the party's lack of professionalization and democratization.

"I find it difficult to separate one from the other. I want to be the party's list leader for animals with all my heart and soul," she said in the statement.

In the letter to the party board, Ouwehand uses harsh words. In it, she wrote that she is constantly thwarted in her efforts to professionalize and democratize the party. She claimed that the board "invariably takes a dismissive attitude" to questions, calls, or proposals.

According to Ouwehand, the party board has "a stubborn tendency (...) to be guided every time by the founders" of the party. MPs Marianne Thieme and Niko Koffeman founded the party in 2002. There should be a board that takes a position "independent of the founders."

MP Christine Teunissen told De Telegraaf that Ouwehand "did not do anything other than express her legitimate concerns about the lack of professionalism and bad manners within the party “ According to Teunissen, there is no question of Ouwehand no longer being a party leader: "That is for the members to decide. And not the board," she told the newspaper.

On X, the MP shared her support for Ouwehand to remain as party leader.

The party's youth organization, PINK!, was also shocked about the party board announcement. "We do not recognize the accusation that is being made. This is at the expense of our party leader and party. We support Esther 100% and want the board to resign as quickly as possible," the youth organization told RTL Nieuws.

Ouwehand stated that her own health suffered from the conflict with the board and that it was "a factor not to be underestimated" when she became ill. Ouwehand sat at home for a long time last year with burnout symptoms but returned to parliament in February.

The party leader said her "despair" is great because nothing is happening with her plans and proposals. The party needs to change because "without these decisive steps, I cannot continue as party leader and parliamentary group leader.

A few years ago, there was also a crisis in the party over democratization. In October 2019, party leader Sebastiaan Wolswinkel, who was elected against the will of Thieme and Koffeman, had to leave the party because he allegedly harmed it by appearing in the media and by not complying with board decisions. Wolswinkel called for more transparency and an internal discussion about the party's course.