Omtzigt, Yeşilgöz reluctant to reveal coalition preferences in first election debate

Pieter Omtzigt of NSC and Dilan Yeşilgöz of the VVD would not say who they would like to govern with in the first debate for the upcoming parliamentary election on the TV program College Tour. Omtzigt and Yeşilgöz debated with Groenlinks-PvdA leader Frans Timmermans and BBB leader Caroline van der Plas.

Omtzigt refused to say which party he’d prefer to form a Cabinet with. He only wanted to say that in the field of social security, he “feels more related” to GroenLinks-PvdA and the BBB. “When it comes to migration, I think it is a little easier to do business with the VVD.”

Yeşilgöz also wouldn’t express a preference in the first election debate. Let the voter speak first, she said. She doesn’t want “half-baked solutions” to the country’s problems, she said.

“If there is this much talk in a new coalition, I don’t feel like it anymore,” BBB leader Caroline van der Plas responded jokingly. She made it clear that she wanted to form a coalition with Omtzigt. “And if the VVD becomes a little less left-wing, I’d also like the VVD.” GroenLinks-PvdA will first have to “add a lot of water to the wine” before the BBB leader sees room to govern with the left-wing combination. “We have quite a difference of opinion on fundamental points.”

Frans Timmermans of GroenLinks-PvdA recently told NRC that it would be good if the VVD were not in the government for a while, and he stuck to that point in the debate. The Liberals show little evidence of having learned from what went wrong in the benefits scandal, he said. He aimed that statement particularly at Omtzigt, who played a crucial role in uncovering the scandal as a parliamentarian.

Nuclear power stations

In the debate, Timmermans was attacked on his position that the Netherlands should not get new nuclear power stations. “Not feasible and affordable,” Timmermans said.

“Big nonsense,” responded Van der Plas. According to her, GroenLinks supporters pressured Timmermans to take that position.

Yeşilgöz said studies show that nuclear energy can be a “beautiful part” of the energy mix.

Sometimes there is no sun or wind, and then it is good to be able to fall back on nuclear energy, said Omtzigt.

War crimes in Gaza and Israel

Timmermans sees a violation of international law of war in Gaza, he said in the debate. Hamas also violates the laws of war. There must be a ceasefire quickly, the GroenLinks-PvdA leader said. According to him, Israel and the Palestinians need to sit down and talk about peace. He stressed that there should be no place for Hamas at the negotiating table. That organization “placed itself outside the discussion” with the bloody attack that sparked this new flare-up of violence two weeks ago.

Omtzigt said he was concerned that the conflict would spread to the region and about growing anti-Semitism in the Netherlands.