D66 renews call for Dutch mayors to be elected
The D66 is renewing its call for Dutch mayors to be chosen in an election. The party is submitting a legislative proposal today that will bring the Netherlands one step closer to mayoral elections, the Telegraaf reports.
D66 parliamentarian Rob Jetten is submitting the proposal on Thursday. This proposal already successfully passed through the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of Dutch parliament, once. But as it involves a constitutional amendment, the bill needs to successfully pass through both the Tweede Kamer and the Eerste Kamer [Senate] twice. On the second pass through, it needs a two-third majority vote.
As the Tweede Kamer currently stands, there is a good chance that the bill will get its needed two-third majority, according to the newspaper. It currently seems that the CDA and PvdA - who voted against the bill the first time around - won't be needed to reach the necessary number of votes.
If the proposal is adopted this second time, the method for appointing a mayor will be removed from the constitution. Once that happens, it will be much easier for the Tweede Kamer to implement a new system - as it would not involve a constitutional change, an ordinary parliamentary majority would do for making changes. The D66 hopes to eventually implement a method in which mayors are directly elected.
Currently Dutch mayors are still officially appointed by royal decree. However in recent years, city councils received more and more say in the matter. The city council recommends the candidate it wants, and in all cases so far that candidate was accepted by the monarch, according to the Telegraaf.
