Gorinchem municipal election rerun: D66 down 1 seat, CDA up 1, slightly lower turnout

The turnout for the rerun of the municipal elections in Gorinchem was slightly lower at 47 percent, compared to 51 percent on March 18. The results remained almost unchanged, according to preliminary results from the municipality.

Democraten Gorinchem is once again the winner with seven seats, followed by Stadsbelang Gorinchem with four seats. Compared to the March results, D66 lost one seat and now has two, and CDA gained one seat and also stands at two.

Gorinchem decided to rerun the municipal elections due to reports of potential voter fraud after the March 18 polls. After Wednesday’s votes, mayor Reinie Melissant told NOS that there had been nor esports of irregularities. “And I hope that remains the case.”

Immediately after the elections on March 18, the municipality of Gorinchem received reports of fraud. There were indications of people being pressured to issue a proxy to vote, and one candidate on the ballot showed up at a polling station five times, each time accompanied by one or two voters holding proxies. According to NRC, that candidate was from the D66.

Tom van der Meijden, D66 leader in parliament, told ANP that losing one seat “does hurt a little bit.” He can’t say whether the suspicions raised by NRC influenced the new result. “I think we will never know, but perhaps it played a role,” he told the news wire.