It is traditionally the kick-off of the final phase of the campaign: the first RTL television debate with four ‘protagonists’, on Sunday 12 October. And where the top-4 in the opinion polls was clear for months (PVV, GroenLinks-PvdA, CDA and VVD), it became exciting for the VVD and party leader Dilan Yesilgöz last week. D66 approached the VVD in terms of seat number, but is just short of According to the most recent polling guide. And so Yesilgöz and not D66 leader Rob Jetten can participate in what some people call the ‘prime minister’s debate’.
It first TV debate -In addition to Yesilgöz, Geert Wilders (PVV), Frans Timmermans (GroenLinks-PvdA) and Henri Bontenbal (CDA)-is very important for the rest of the campaign, says Sarah Marschlich, university teacher of communication at the University of Amsterdam. “Here a party leader can tell what the campaign should be about and explain which problems should be solved.”
For Yesilgöz, who has to deal with falling polls and a lot of criticism among voters on its leadership, the first RTL debate offers a chance to improve its profile and image.
Polls
The RTL debate is the first of two debates of the channel within more than a week, of which it takes place on Sunday, October 19, a week and a half before the elections. Six parties are invited for the second debate based on the polling guide of Thursday 9 October. As it looks now, in addition to PVV, GroenLinks-PvdA, CDA and VVD, D66 and JA21 (Joost Eerdmans) are also asked.
PVV leader Wilders has already announced RTL that he is not coming to the second debate, confirms Chef Politiek Fons Lambie. That would mean that SP leader Jimmy Dijk can make his appearance at that debate. Wilders’ cancellation is remarkable, although he also regularly struck invitations for TV debates in earlier campaigns. At the moment the PVV leader is at the top of the polls and he may not think he needs all TV debates to hold that position.
According to Marschlich, it is important for parties to the TV debates to be consistent to propagate their message and to stay with a recognizable theme as much as possible. That endorses Bas Erlingsformer campaign strategist for the VVD that collaborated intensively with Mark Rutte. “We chose one theme in all election campaigns. At Rutte this was his leadership, from the MH17 to the Coronacrisis, linked to continuity.” Some current party leaders are still too ‘versatile’, Erlings sees. “Think of Frans Timmermans, he doesn’t have one theme that we can link to him, but several.”
Eerdmans
Party leader Joost Eerdmans has already been invited to several TV debates due to the growing popularity of JA21. Ja21 was also asked for it this week EenVandaag-Slijstrekkersdebat on Monday 27 October, two days before the elections. Editor -in -chief René van Brakel says in a press release that the invitations are not only based on polls, but also on “the most important themes for the voting choice, the questions that voters have and the available time”.
The biggest loser of the selection methods is so far BBB leader Caroline van der Plas, who only seems welcome at the NOS-Slot debate on Tuesday 28 October.
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