Former PVV State Sec.'s switch to JA21 wins party 7 seats in polls
Ingrid Coenradie’s decision to leave the PVV for JA21 has been very beneficial for Joost Eerdmans’ right-wing party. JA21 rose from 2 to 9 seats in the poll by EenVandaag and research agency Verian. Almost two seats came directly from Geert Wilders’ PVV. Four came from people who didn’t vote in the 2023 elections.
Coenradie served as the State Secretary of Justice and Security on behalf of the PVV. She stepped down along with the other PVV Cabinet members after Wilders toppled the Cabinet, but decided not to continue with the PVV.
Half (49 percent) of the voters who said they planned to vote for JA21 in the upcoming election said that Coenradie was the reason for that decision. They consider her a “smart politician” who fits in well with the party and can attract votes.
The NSC also announced a staff change. Eddy van Hijum, currently the caretaker Minister of Social Affairs and Employment and Deputy Prime Minister, will lead the party in the upcoming elections. But it had much less effect. The NSC remains at one seat in the poll.
Among the other parties, there has been little change. The PVV now has 32 seats. The VVD and GroenLinks-PvdA each have 26.
Frans Timmermans’ GL-PvdA made many headlines in the past few days after MP Kati Piri submitted a motion for the Netherlands to stop supplying Israel with components for its air defense system. Timmermans supported the proposal, saying that the air defense system lets Benjamin Netanyahu attack other countries with impunity because it makes him feel invulnerable.
The proposal sparked fierce criticism from other parties in parliament, particularly the right-wing parties, but also from within GroenLinks-PvdA itself. But it did not lose or win the party any votes, according to EenVandaag. Not only do most GroenLinks-PvdA voters think an arms embargo on Israel is a good idea, but so do other left-wing voters.
