Recount of votes in Tilburg is in full swing
The recount of the votes from four polling stations in Tilburg started on Saturday afternoon. This concerns polling stations 9, 15, 21 and 31 in Tilburg, NU.nl reported. The recount takes place under the watchful eye of a delegation from the Tweede Kamer and is expected to last until 3 p.m. The recount concerns approximately 6,000 votes that needed to be reconsidered.
The Tweede Kamer convened at the request of the Commission for the Verification of Credentials, which verifies the election results. The Commission had found "an inexplicable discrepancy of more than 15 votes in the results" at the polling stations in the city of Brabant.
The Electoral Council may meet on Monday if the recount requires a minor change in the election result. According to NOS, the probability that the final election result will change after the recount is practically zero. However, the Tweede Kamer wanted to apply the new rules.
There are four long tables in the room on which the votes from the four polling stations are recounted. "There are thick rolls of ballot papers and the counting is very busy," said a spokeswoman for the municipality. "You could almost say the atmosphere is good."
Although there is minimal chance that the distribution of seats will change, chairman of the committee and VVD MP Ulysse Ellian believes the recount is important for the "reliability and verifiability" of the elections.
It could be particularly exciting for D66 and the SP. The D66 has lost a remaining seat to the Socialists due to a difference of 160 votes. D66 member Tjeerd de Groot could then gain another seat in the chamber, probably at the expense of SP member Michiel van Nispen.
Reporting by ANP and NL Times