NSC leader calls VVD election plans ‘direct attack’ on social security and healthcare

Eddy van Hijum, the lead candidate of Nieuw Sociaal Contract (NSC), sharply criticized the recently presented election program of the VVD, calling it “asocial.” In an interview with De Stentor, Van Hijum said the VVD’s plans amount to “a direct attack” on his party’s policies.

The VVD’s program proposes cuts in healthcare and social security in the coming years. Van Hijum accused the VVD, led by Dilan Yeşilgöz, of wielding “the blunt axe” on these critical social areas.

He emphasized that NSC wants to provide “security to people who work, but also to those who can no longer work, including pensioners, the sick, and people who have become disabled.”

Van Hijum’s party, NSC, has not yet released its election program. NSC and VVD were part of the former cabinet. The coalition collapsed in early June after the PVV withdrew its support.

The next general elections for the Tweede Kamer are scheduled for October 29, 2025. The campaign is expected to focus heavily on social welfare and healthcare policy debates.