PRO, VVD, D66, Volt, and CDA strike deal to govern Rotterdam
Rotterdam has a new governing coalition after PRO, VVD, D66, Volt, and CDA reached an agreement, giving the five parties a bare majority of 23 seats in the 45-member city council, Rijnmond reports.
The parties will present their plans for the city on Friday. The coalition agreement is set to address issues including housing, the role of cars in the city center, and economic sustainability. Friday's presentation will also reveal how portfolios are divided among the five parties. New aldermen will be appointed during a special council meeting on July 9 and will take office the same day.
The agreement comes after coalition talks between PRO, VVD, D66, and Denk collapsed earlier this month. The four parties had been close to dividing alderman posts, but the VVD ended the negotiations, saying policy differences were too large. According to the party, the proposed coalition with Denk put too much emphasis on progressive policies and paid too little attention to the economy and public safety.
D66, which holds five seats, was reportedly particularly keen to keep the VVD in the coalition. Election winner PRO, with 11 seats, and D66 then invited Volt and CDA to join the negotiations. VVD also has five seats, while Volt and CDA each hold one seat. Denk members Fauozi Achbar and Serkan Soytekin are no longer involved in coalition talks.
Two informateurs overseeing the talks wrote to the city council early last week that discussions were taking place in a “good and open” atmosphere. They said they hoped to complete negotiations before the summer recess, which begins July 20.
Negotiators also had to deal with a major financial setback after discovering that youth care costs were higher than expected, amounting to tens of millions of euros annually.
Current aldermen and negotiators Chantal Zeegers of D66 and Tim Versnel of VVD want to continue as aldermen, although they could receive different portfolios. PRO negotiator Jeroen Postma has also indicated interest in the position.
