The tension was palpable minutes before the first exit poll was shown on a television screen in the Hague bistro La Brasserie. But soon a loud applause broke out.
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“Jantje, Jantje, jantje,” those present cheer when the two seats are shown on the screen. “We are not there yet. But the head is off. Finally another chance for the voice of the over-50s to be heard,” said gold-plated party leader Jan Struijs. There was also cheering at the second exit poll and the party appears to be on its way to a historic return to the House of Representatives.
He is modest and does not want to talk about the ‘Jan Struijs effect’. “No, certainly not. We worked with a great team of volunteers. This feels really good. We have peace in the tent.”
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Struijs and the team could be found on the streets throughout the country during the campaign. “We spoke to a lot of people and sent out plenty of flyers, from Limburg to Friesland. What I heard a lot is that people have confidence in us,” he reflects in the room in The Hague. “We are going to connect the generations.”
The party’s return to The Hague’s plush is partly due to the well-watched program Today Insidewhere Struijs took a seat at the bar at the end of August. Johan Derksen’s compliments did the party good. Erna, 50Plus consistently scored one to three seats in all polls.