CDA drops five seats following controversial comments as Dutch election race tightens
Dutch parties are drawing closer in support ahead of the next Tweede Kamer elections, according to an Ipsos I&O poll released Saturday, with PVV, GroenLinks-PvdA, D66, and CDA now within six seats of each other.
PVV fell three seats to 26 as voters increasingly doubt the party’s ability to join the next coalition, shifting some support to VVD and JA21.
CDA suffered the largest loss, dropping five seats from 25 to 20, following statements by leader Henri Bontenbal defending religious schools’ right to reject homosexual relationships. Only 9 percent of voters agreed with the statement, “Religious schools should retain the freedom to teach children that as a gay person you may not have a partner,” while 78 percent disagreed. Among current CDA voters, 80 percent opposed the stance, and 95 percent of those who abandoned the party in the last week disagreed.
D66 gained most from CDA’s losses, adding an estimated two seats for a total of four. Leader Rob Jetten’s approval ratings rose, including among center-right voters, and 36 percent of respondents said they would consider voting for D66, giving the party the largest potential voter base.
The poll, conducted from 10 p.m. Thursday, October 23, to 10 p.m. Friday, October 24, included 3,244 citizens aged 18 and older.
Most respondents were from the I&O Research Panel, with 211 from PanelClix, mainly younger, lower-educated, and non-Western background participants. A rolling panel invited 1,115 previous-week respondents to track voter shifts.
