Van Vroonhoven withdraws as NSC leader, Van Hijum and Boomsma enter race
Nicolien van Vroonhoven has unexpectedly withdrawn from the race to become the next party leader of Nieuw Sociaal Contract (NSC), just days before the party was set to announce its preferred candidate. Her decision, made public late Friday, was quickly followed by a candidacy announcement from demissionary Minister of Social Affairs Eddy van Hijum. NSC lawmaker Diederik Boomsma has also entered the race, De Telegraaf reported.
Van Vroonhoven, who assumed leadership of NSC after founder Pieter Omtzigt left national politics due to a prolonged burnout, said she could no longer fully commit to leading the party into the next election.
“I would have gladly taken the lead,” she said in a written statement, “but at this moment I cannot give 100 percent to the campaign.”
She wrote that her original goal had been “to bring NSC back to its foundation, to the substantive core for which NSC was founded.” A reduced seat count in the upcoming election, she added, “might even have felt like a relief.”
Calling the decision “anything but easy,” Van Vroonhoven said she suspected it would “not be entirely unexpected” to some party members. She described the past few years as “immensely special, but also quite difficult,” and concluded her statement with a sharp critique of Dutch politics: “The current way of doing politics has really taken a toll on me. I hope people will be a bit more generous with each other in these times.”
Van Vroonhoven, who had previously spoken openly about her discomfort with political culture in The Hague, told De Telegraaf's interviewer that the city’s political climate was “insanely toxic.”
Candidates had until midnight Saturday to apply for the party leadership. Van Hijum declared his candidacy Saturday evening. A former CDA lawmaker and provincial deputy, he is reportedly considered a close confidant of Omtzigt.
In his letter to the party board, Van Hijum described the upcoming elections as “a major challenge.” He reflected on NSC’s short-lived participation in coalition talks with the PVV, VVD and BBB: “That was a rollercoaster, and we didn’t come out of it without bruises. We’ll have to work extremely hard to regain trust in our party.”
Van Hijum said he would prioritize “a culture of cooperation and unity,” and expressed concern about politicians who “elevate polarization to an art form.” He wrote: “Politics should bring out and strengthen the good in people—not appeal to their gut instincts.”
Boomsma, also a candidate for party leader, previously served as faction leader for the CDA in the Amsterdam city council and is now an NSC Member of Parliament. In comments to De Telegraaf, he said he wants the party to pursue a “social-conservative direction” and that he hopes to follow in Omtzigt’s footsteps.
Earlier this week, NSC opened applications for party leader, describing the ideal candidate as a “charismatic and inspiring leader” who is “exceptionally strong in communication.”
NSC’s position in national polls has sharply declined since the last general election, when the party won 20 seats under Omtzigt’s leadership. Current polling places NSC at zero to two seats.
The party board is expected to announce its preferred candidate on Tuesday. Rival candidates will then have one week to register.
