As of this month, 50PLUS will again be in the Asser municipal council with one seat. Councilor Clemens Otto suddenly returns to the old nest. He leaves Assen Centraal, where he switched two years ago, because he was done with the internal hassle at 50PLUS nationally.
But now in January he heads the one-man faction of 50PLUS. The reason for his sudden switch: the elderly party wants to participate again in the municipal elections of March 18 in Assen. And Otto is already preparing for that. “With a seat on the council you are already visible.”
It is a remarkable step by Otto, which resembles something of a political weather vane. Because a few months ago the 72-year-old from Assen said he wanted to permanently quit local politics. After eight years he thought it was enough. Moreover, he felt that he was getting very little done as a representative, so it was time for other things.
But suddenly the flag hangs completely differently. Otto doesn’t stop. The national party board of 50PLUS came his way, with a request to help the party to seriously compete again for one or more seats in Assen during the municipal elections. “I felt honored, so I took on that task. With former police officer Jan Struijs in the House of Representatives, I have more confidence in it again.”
By the way, Otto will not be the party leader. That will be the politically inexperienced Derk Jan van der Laan, budget coordinator in debt assistance.
Clemens Otto joined the Asser council in 2018, on behalf of 50PLUS. The party then had 3 seats, in 2022 they got 2 seats. These were occupied by Otto and Dries Zwikker. But in December 2023, Otto and Zwikker switched to the Assen Centraal faction. They were sick of the internal bickering at parent party 50PLUS. Otto was, he said, ‘ashamed’.
Party chairman and party leader Jan Talens of Assen Centraal is not happy with how Clemens Otto is now suddenly turning his back on his club. “This is at odds with what we agreed.” Talens was therefore ‘surprised’ by Otto’s step, and calls it ‘a shame the way things are going now’.
According to Talens, Otto had first clearly indicated that he wanted to quit as a councilor. “But he would simply complete the council term with us. And when 50PLUS came to him, that would still be the case. However, he would help them as an advisor and would be on the electoral list as a list pusher for 50PLUS. It was agreed that from January he would no longer speak in the municipal council on behalf of Assen Centraal. Because that is a bit crazy. But suddenly everything is different.”
Talens does not want to waste too many words on it. It is clear that he is disappointed with the situation. “I think all kinds of things about it, but I can’t do anything else with it. As Assen Central we have been good enough for two years. I wish him all the best.”
Dries Zwikker, who turns 69 on Wednesday and also joined the Asser municipal council on behalf of 50PLUS in 2018, will remain loyal to Assen Centraal until the elections. Then he stops for good. “I have committed myself to society in Assen for eight years, then it has been nice.” He does not comment on Clemens Otto’s move. “That’s his business.”