Today at 11:02 • Updated today at 11:56
Member of Parliament Esmah Lahlah from Tilburg will become an alderman on behalf of PRO, formerly GroenLinks-PvdA, in Amsterdam. At the end of April she told Omroep Brabant that she would remain a Member of Parliament for the time being. Now the number two on the list of the PRO parliamentary faction is moving to the capital after all.
“I choose Amsterdam. I choose local government,” the 46-year-old politician wrote on Tuesday afternoon on Instagram. “That is why I am saying goodbye to the House of Representatives. The past years in The Hague have been special, intense and educational.”
Lahlah switched from Tilburg municipal politics in 2023 – she was also a councilor there – to the House of Representatives. She was spokesperson on behalf of her party in the areas of social security and poverty policy, among other things.
‘Obvious choice’
In her message, Lahlah writes that she longs for a place in politics that is close to people. According to her, the choice for Amsterdam feels obvious. “Amsterdam is a city that shows that freedom, solidarity and diversity are stronger than cynicism and division. A city where progressive politics is not just a story, but something that people should be able to feel every day in their neighborhood, at school and in their future.”
“The past few years in The Hague have been special, intense and educational,” says Lahlah about her work in national politics. She calls the House of Representatives ‘a place where people are working hard on the future of the country’. However, she herself believes that she is better suited ‘in neighborhoods, in schools and in places where political choices are directly tangible in people’s daily lives’.
Lahlah will be given the Education, Youth Care and Youth Network portfolio in the capital, the daily reports Het Parool. She was asked for the position by party leader Zita Pels of the local branch of PRO. “She brings with her a wealth of experience in increasing equality of opportunity,” Pels says about Lahlah’s arrival.
Mayor’s Riot
It is not the first time that the Tilburg politician has made national news with a possible career change. Last year it was leaked that Lahlah had applied for the position of mayor of Tilburg, while at that time she had already secured a prominent place on the GroenLinks-PvdA list for the House of Representatives elections. Her application letter was exposed by an anonymous whistleblower, a quite exceptional situation, according to experts.
The leaking of that application led to a national riot. A few months later, Lahlah’s bid for a mayoral post was again leaked. Then she wanted to become mayor of Delft. Both the province of North Brabant and the province of South Holland reported the leaks.
‘Remain a member of parliament’
At the end of April, Lahlah told Omroep Brabant that her ambition for a new position seemed to have disappeared for the time being after the fuss surrounding the two previous attempts. She was very adamant at the time: “I will remain a Member of Parliament for the time being.” Yet within a few months things have changed again.
She also indicated at the time that she had no difficulty moving for a position. “I once said when I moved from Helmond: the girl is from Helmond, but Helmond is not from the girl,” she said. “Wherever I end up, I will never lose what is Brabant.”
Lahlah is now said to be looking for a house in Amsterdam. Councilors are obliged to live in the municipality where they work. On June 10, the Amsterdam city council must still approve the nomination of the new aldermen.
Fierce debate
During her career in the House of Representatives, Lahlah mainly stayed in the background. Apart from the outliers surrounding the leak of her two applications for a mayoral post, she largely stayed out of the spotlight of the Hague caravan.
She did appear in the media after a fierce and emotional debate with then minister Marjolein Faber. Lahlah gave a personal speech in which she defended wearing a headscarf, after Faber had previously labeled her on Twitter as a ‘PvdA headscarf’.