PVV parliamentarian Lilian Helder will not run for re-election

PVV parliamentarian Lilian Helder announced on Friday that she will not seek re-election for the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of the Dutch parliament, NOS reported on Friday. In a tweet posted on Friday morning, she said she will not run for re-election in November due to "personal and substantive reasons," though the specifics of these reasons remain undisclosed.

She served in the Tweede Kamer for the party of Geert Wilders for 13 years. During the 2021 elections, she was in the ninth position on the list of the PVV.

As the police, justice, and security spokesperson for the PVV, Helder advocated for the introduction of minimum sentences and sought to limit the decision-making power of the judiciary.

Before entering politics, Helder notably pursued a career as a lawyer.

Lilian Helder is among several other prominent Dutch MPs who will not return to politics in the Hague after the election that will take place in November. On Monday, Sylvana Simons, who leads BIJ1, and DENK's Farid Azarkan said they will step aside after the elections.