Nicolien van Vroonhoven quits politics after being pushed down NSC candidate list
Nicolien van Vroonhoven, the leader of Nieuw Sociaal Contract (NSC), will leave politics after party members voted to move her from second to fourth place on the candidate list for the upcoming elections, AD reported. She will serve out her current term in the Tweede Kamer but will not run again.
The decision comes less than two weeks after NSC published its draft candidate list, which placed Eddy van Hijum in the top position, Van Vroonhoven second, and Judith Uitermark third. Ahead of the party congress scheduled for Saturday, members voted to reshuffle the list: Uitermark rose to second place, Merlien Welzijn to third, and Van Vroonhoven fell to fourth. Van Vroonhoven described this as a “hard blow” that convinced her to withdraw.
In a written statement, she said, “The past year was more than tough. It was a year of fighting, loss, and disappointments. And I understand that members believe I am partly responsible for that, although I had hoped to find the way back up with the rest of the team.”
She added that she remains “proud of what NSC has brought about, proud of the party that has been built, and of the boundaries we have set in this polarized environment.”
She said she now wants “to find some peace” and wishes Van Hijum and his team “all the best in the campaign.”
