A large majority in the lower house of Dutch parliament supports the government's intention to sign the United Nations' new migration pact next week, was revealed in a debate on the matter on Tuesday.
In addition to coalition parties VVD, CDA, D66 and ChristenUnie, the pact is also supported by GroenLinks, PvdA and DENK, NU.nl reports PVV, 50Plus, SGP and FvD are against the pact. They fear that migrants may derive new rights form the pact. PvdD and SP are still considering.
Several parties in the lower house of Dutch parliament voiced strong criticism on Prime Minister Mark Rutte's response to disturbances around various Sinterklaas celebrations in the Netherlands over the weekend.
Former Prime Minister Wim Kok (PvdA) passed away after a long illness, his family revealed on Saturday. Over the weekend King Willem-Alexander and various politicians responded to his death. Kok was a well respected man to whom the Netherlands owes a great deal of gratitude, was the general theme of their reactions.
PVV leader Geert Wilders put forward a proposal to ban all forms of Islamic expressions in the Netherlands during the first day of the General Considerations, the parliamentary debate on the government's plans and budget for the next year, on Wednesday. The proposal was immediately shot down by the other parties, NU.nl reports.
The VVD's proposal to punish law breakers in problem neighborhoods twice as harshly as someone from another neighborhood, led to sharp accusations during the first day of the General Political Considerations, the parliamentary debate on the government's budget and plans for next year, on Wednesday.
Minister Stef Blok of Foreign Affairs survived a motion of no confidence in a parliamentary debate on Wednesday about statements he made on multicultural societies. Many opposition parties voted against him, but he still has the support of the coalition, NU.nl reports.
Minister Stef Blok of Foreign Affairs is facing the Tweede Kamer on Wednesday on statements he made about multicultural societies. He faced fierce criticism from the parliamentarians, including from coalition parties D66, CDA and ChristenUnie. Only populist parties PVV and FvD outright supported his remarks, NOS reports.
The violence a police officer used while arresting a woman on Stadhuisplein in Rotterdam last month was not proportional, Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb wrote in response to questions from the local DENK faction. The officer was allowed to use force, but the degree of violence used crossed a line, according to the mayor, NOS reports.
The lower house of Dutch parliament is withholding almost 150 thousand euros this year on the money DENK receives to pay, for example, faction employees. The pro-diversity party received a double contribution last year and that is now being rectified, AD and NOS report.
Up until the parliamentary election in March last year, DENK founders Tunahan Kuzu and Selcuk Ozturk had parliamentary seats as the Kuzu/Ozturk Group. After the election, they fell under DENK.
In the run-up to the parliamentary election last year, pro-diversity party DENK worked on a fake PVV advertisement aimed at setting the anti-Islam party in a bad light, NPO Radio 1 program De Nieuws BV reports. DENK ultimately decided not to use the idea. PVV leader Geert Wilders is furious and is considering pressing charges against DENK.
The online ad consisted of a picture of Wilders with the text: 'After 15 March we will purify the Netherlands', according to De Nieuws BV.
A legislative proposal by PVV parliamentarians Sietse Fritsma and Machiel de Graaf to send criminal Antilleans back to Aruba, Curacao or Sint Maarten got no support from other parties in parliament. "This is not possible and we should also not want this", CDA parliamentarian Madeleine van Toorenburg said in a debate in the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of Dutch parliament, NOS reports.
The final municipal election results for Rotterdam are in, and they are mostly the same as the interim results. The only difference is that anti-Islam PVV lost one seat in the city council, and pro-diversity party DENK gained one. That shift is due to the distribution of residual seats, NOS reports.
The final results for Amsterdam's municipal elections are in. GroenLinks is the biggest party in the city, with 10 city council seats. And four parties will enter the Amsterdam city council for the first time - newcomers DENK, Bij1 and FVD, and ChristenUnie, AT5 and Het Parool report.
The seats in Amsterdam's city council are divided as follows:
GroenLinks won big in the municipal elections and is now the largest party in cities like Amsterdam and Utrecht. With all votes in 325 out of 335 municipalities counted, it seems almost certain that the CDA will remain the biggest party in the Netherlands, RTL Nieuws reports.
With just a week to go until the municipal elections, both the D66 and GroenLinks have a solid chance to become the biggest party in Amsterdam. Both parties currently stand at 17 percent of Amsterdam votes - good for 9 seats in the city council, according to a poll by Maurice de Hond of Peil.nl, Het Parool reports.
Nine seats is an increase of three seats for GroenLinks, and a loss of 5 seats for the D66.The party that comes out the biggest after the municipal election on March 21st can take the lead in forming a new coalition.
Sylvanna Simons, leader of pro-diversity party Bij1, will avoid debates with new populist party FvD as much as possible in the run-up to the municipal elections in the Netherlands next month. It is "difficult to talk to people who hold certain ideas", she said to the Volkskrant on Sunday prior to a discussion between six potential new council members in Amsterdam arranged by the newspaper.
The leader of the Utrecht faction of anti-Islam party PVV surprised many by suggesting he hoped that a prominent mosque in the city would go up in flames. The comments brought immediate condemnation from politicians of several parties in the area.
Henk van Deún represented the PVV during a political talk radio show on a local channel. He was joined by the leader of Turkish and multicultural party Denk, Mahmut Sungur, who commented that he wanted to see the city's Ulu Mosque be recognized as a proud local landmark.
Almost all political parties in Amsterdam are in favor of extending the new Noord-Zuid subway line to Schiphol, and later further into Haarlemmermeer, was revealed during the first municipal election debate in Pakhuis De Zwijger on Monday. The debate focused on Schiphol and the harbor, Haarlems Dagblad reports.
PVV leader Geert Wilders fired Géza Hegedüs as faction leader in Rotterdam on Friday after it was revealed that he expressed support for Holocaust denier David Irving in 2014. This happened just one day after Wilders announced Hegedüs' appointment, overshadowing the PVV's participation in the municipal elections in Rotterdam.
Pro-diveristy party DENK will be taking part in the municipal elections in Rotterdam next year, party leader Tunahan Kuzu announced in Rotterdam on Thursday morning. He did this at the Essalam mosque - in the same place, and just moments before, anti-Islam PVV leader was set to announce the faction leader for the PVV in Rotterdam, AD reports.
Minister Kasja Ollongren of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations will arrange a meeting with mayors and local governments to discuss citizens' right to demonstrate and the considerations that should be taken into account when a demonstration is canceled, she said in response to parliamentary questions from DENK MP Tunahan Kuzu, AD reports
On Thursday the court in Amsterdam gave sentences of up to 80 hours of community service and fines up to 450 euros for incitement, threats, insult and discrimination against politician Sylvana Simons. The judge said that with the sentences the court wants to make clear that crossing the boundaries of freedom of expression has consequences, NU.nl report.
Dutch King Willem-Alexander turns 50 years old today. A number of political party leaders took a moment to wish him a happy birthday. "It only gets better [after 50]", CDA leader Sybrand Buma said to RTL Nieuws.
"I would like to congratulate him on his 50th birthday. And everyone around him too, of course", SGP leader Kees van der Staaij said to the broadcaster. "I want to wish him a lot of wisdom. For what can a king use better than wisdom? I especially hope that he stays who he is."
The PvdA also lost a lot of support in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Utrecht and The Hague during this election. GroenLinks performed very well in Amsterdam. And in Rotterdam and The Hague new party DENK scored better than the labor party, according to NOS.
