GroenLinks and PvdA members vote to include abolition of monarchy in election program

Members of the GroenLinks and the PvdA voted on Saturday to include the abolition of the constitutional monarchy in their parties’ joint election program. The proposed amendment was adopted with just over 52 percent of the vote during the election congress of the leftwing alliance in Rotterdam.

Defenders of the amendment described the monarchy and the associated principle of hereditary succession as "an outdated system of inequality". They pointed to the many millions annually allocated to the royal house, arguing that these funds could be better spent on people in greater need.

Some highlighted the Nazi affiliations of Prince Bernhard or the colonial past from which the House of Oranje-Nassau earned much of its wealth. King Willem-Alexander's beer with Russian leader Vladimir Putin during the 2014 Sochi Olympics was also mentioned.

Opponents emphasized the importance of history and the symbolic role of the royal house. They warned that a republic would not necessarily be a panacea. "We would have had President Rutte for the past twelve years," was one of the remarks made.

The authors of the election program discouraged to accept the amendment. They believed that the current proposals, in which King Willem-Alexander assumes a purely ceremonial role and starts paying taxes, were sufficient.

Top candidate Frans Timmermans expressed his satisfaction with how the royal house represents the Netherlands abroad. He respects the members' wishes but emphasized, "This isn't my top priority."

Other proposals aiming to push the election program further to the left than the party leadership wished, such as abolishing the health insurance deductible and providing an unconditional basic income for everyone, did not pass. An amendment for free public transport was also rejected.

Following the congress, Member of Parliament Kauthar Bouchallikht (GroenLinks) announced on Saturday evening she would withdraw from the candidate list for the elections due to disagreements over the situation in Israel. She believes that while not denying Hamas's “horrendous actions,” it is essential to understand their origins in the policies of the Israeli government, which many Israelis and Jewish people do not support, according to her.

After the Hamas attack in Israel last Saturday and Israel’s response, GroenLinks leader Jesse Klaver pointed out Israel’s right to protect itself. Frans Timmermans spoke of a “terror-mongering surprise attack” that cannot be legitimized in any way. On Wednesday, three members of GroenLinks/PvdA asked them to correct their "self-defense" statements about Israel in a letter to the boards of the left-wing parties.