Turnout in municipal elections in the capital is historically low. In the end, 46 percent of Amsterdammers voted. According to political scientist André Krouwel, this has several causes, such as the war in Ukraine, confidence in politics and the lack of mobilization of voters by some parties.
Until now, the lowest turnout percentage came from 1998, when more than 47.9 percent of eligible voters turned up for municipal elections. In the previous election, the turnout was 50.3 percent.
To trust
André Krouwel thinks that the low turnout is partly due to the lack of trust in political institutions. “Due to the corona crisis, many people have lost their confidence in politics and political institutions. You still feel that a bit now.”
Mobilization
According to Krouwel, many parties also failed to mobilize voters in these elections. “For example, the Christian parties, such as the CDA and the ChristenUnie. But DENK has also failed to mobilize the Muslim community in the city. And finally, the populist parties have also failed, such as JA21, FVD and the Party of the Elderly.”
Ukraine
Jeroen Slot of the Amsterdam Research and Statistics office cites the war in Ukraine as an explanation for the low turnout. “The campaigns were less extensive due to the situation in Ukraine,” he says. Halsema also sees the situation in Ukraine as a cause of the turnout. “It is possible that Amsterdammers are busy with Ukraine. Those are national and international topics that hold the interest of the people.”
Do not panic
The lowest turnout in twenty-two years, but that’s no reason to panic, says Krouwel. “We know that half of the voters stay at home during local elections. Many people also stay at home because they are busy with other things. Or, for example, they are busy with the war in Ukraine. It is a crazy time,” says Krauwel. .
Mayor Halsema also responded to the low turnout last night. “It would be much better for our city if it was much higher.”
Amsterdam will investigate the cause of the low turnout in municipal elections. “We need more clarity about the underlying reasons why people have not voted, so that the municipality can better promote turnout in the future,” Halsema said today in response to the turnout.