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THE HAGUE — Dutch citizens could also be about to get somebody very other from the outgoing veteran top minister Mark Rutte.
A former refugee, Dilan Yeşilgöz, who succeeded Rutte as chief of the VVD birthday celebration, is now main the polls forward of Wednesday’s vote and may develop into the primary feminine top minister in Dutch historical past.
The competition is on a knife-edge, with 3 events vying to win probably the most seats, however her nearest rival, Pieter Omtzigt has signalled he would possibly not need the highest activity for himself.
That makes it even likelier that Yeşilgöz, the rustic’s justice minister, will develop into premier on the head of the following govt.
Learn extra: Tips on how to watch the Dutch elections like a professional – POLITICO
A self-confessed workaholic, Yeşilgöz is media savvy and does now not communicate a lot about being a girl in politics. She is invariably excellent humored and stuffed with power in public, in spite of what she says are “tricky” calls for of her present activity. Her liberal-conservative Other folks’s Birthday celebration for Freedom and Democracy is now in joint first position with 18 issues in POLITICO’s Ballot of Polls, after she took over from Rutte as its chief.
Her platform has been a promise to crack down on migration, a subject that has lengthy dogged Dutch politics.
However Yeşilgöz instructed POLITICO it’s her personal background as a refugee that has formed her view on migration.
“There’s an inflow of too many of us, now not best asylum seekers but in addition migrant employees and world scholars, this means that that we don’t have the capability to lend a hand actual refugees,” Yeşilgöz mentioned. She indexed issues within the device, together with deficient high quality reception amenities for asylum seekers and housing shortages as hindrances.
But Yeşilgöz has a mountain forward of her to achieve the election.
If the VVD wins, it will be outstanding. There are infrequently any examples of governing events that, all through a transformation in management, nonetheless stay the most important.
But the newest POLITICO Ballot of Polls presentations that VVD is neck and neck with centrist outsider Omtzigt’s new birthday celebration, New Social Contract. The golf green-left alliance of Frans Timmermans could also be in with a possibility, on 15 %.
NETHERLANDS NATIONAL PARLIAMENT ELECTION POLL OF POLLS
For extra polling knowledge from throughout Europe talk over with POLITICO Ballot of Polls.
As justice minister within the present caretaker govt, she has been described as a tricky negotiator and a powerful communicator, who best does 3 issues but even so paintings: sleep, workout and consuming healthily.
However whilst Rutte has at all times been very personal about his non-public lifestyles, Yeşilgöz has been way more open, speaking frankly about her marriage, her battles with an immune situation and her hesitation about having youngsters.
Additionally in contrast to Rutte, who was once ceaselessly noticed biking to appointments, Yeşilgöz is pushed in all places and must be closely secure by means of a non-public safety element because of her place as a justice minister. “This can be a giant a part of my lifestyles and that’s very tricky. However I make a choice to stay going, not to hand over, as a result of I will be able to now not be intimidated,” she mentioned.
The more and more violent and coarse nature of public discourse within the Netherlands is a rising factor in Dutch politics. Outgoing finance minister Sigrid Kaag introduced previous that she was once leaving politics amid issues over her protection.
Honest and strict
Brussels could also be protecting an in depth eye at the upcoming election. The Netherlands has situated itself underneath the management of Rutte as a competent and dominant spouse within the EU. However officers in embassies and establishments in Brussels now ponder whether the following govt will deal with the sort of certain function after the November 22 vote.
It’s a transparent “sure” from Yeşilgöz, if she finally ends up as premier. “As a small nation, we will be able to play a large function. Now we have at all times performed that, and it’s extremely vital that we will be able to stay doing that,” she mentioned.
Enjoying strict and and taking part in honest would be the primary pillars that underpin her way to the EU, mentioned Yeşilgöz. That incorporates no tinkering with the factors when new nations wish to develop into an EU member — a debate this is already heating up in gentle of Ukraine’s software to enroll in the 27-country bloc.
A person forums a tram subsequent to a Other folks’s Birthday celebration for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) marketing campaign poster that includes an image of birthday celebration chief Dilan Yeşilgöz | Carl Courtroom/Getty Photographs
Historically, the Dutch were hawks-in-chief on EU fiscal coverage, criticizing giant spenders and significant a discount in debt ranges. However in more moderen occasions, the Dutch govt has liked flexibility, is reasonably.
“Simply being very strict and now not taking a look on the context in any respect, I’m exaggerating slightly, that’s now not going to be our line,” Yeşilgöz mentioned. “However being very versatile and if truth be told making issues much less transparent and extra advanced isn’t our line both. Europe should be a strong cooperation, and transparent monetary agreements are essential to this finish.”
Publish-Rutte
Even supposing the VVD is main within the polls, the race is some distance from performed.
The principle problem for Yeşilgöz all through the marketing campaign has been to persuade citizens that she needs renewal in spite of her birthday celebration being in energy for greater than a decade.
The previous 13 years numerous issues were going smartly, she mentioned, pointing to the truth that The Netherlands weathered the industrial disaster and coronavirus pandemics slightly safely.
“On the identical time, while you zoom in and notice that many of us with standard jobs and earning lie wakeful at evening as a result of their expenses … so I will be able to’t say that issues are going smartly for everybody,” she mentioned.
“On best of that there were previously years some blind spots,” she mentioned. Those integrated the deficient dealing with of repayment claims in the case of earthquake injury in Groningen and a childcare advantages fiasco by which 1000’s of other people, ceaselessly dual-nationals, have been incorrectly categorised fraudsters. “It’s glaring that we have got discovered from that and want to save you new blind spots from showing.”
And what of her former lader, Rutte? He was once noticed in Brussels previous this month on a talk over with to NATO leader Jens Stoltenberg, after hinting he want to take over the location on the best of the army alliance himself.
Requested whether or not Rutte was once gunning to steer NATO, Yeşilgöz laughed.“Anyplace he finally ends up, that group could be very fortunate to have him,” she mentioned.
