On Wednesday, the Amsterdam court ruled that Volt must reinstate the suspended MP Gündoğan in the faction. She was expelled from the group for reports of transgressive behaviour. Party leader Laurens Dassen reluctantly agreed to the verdict, and stated that he would start a mediation process with Gündoğan. Then it can also be discussed how an independent investigation can still be conducted into the reports about Gündoğan’s behavior, the judge concluded. But that seems far from solving the issue.
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In their congressional application, disappointed Volt members state that they have “little hope of actual improvement” from the process now proposed. The party initially had a members’ congress in mind in the summer, but with this initiative the members want to bring that to the fore.
‘Dangling informationlessly from ship’
In addition, they believe that Volt’s board “has been negligent in properly informing and involving the members” in this matter, the initiators write to the board in their conference application. Initiator Friso Datema, previously involved in Volt’s campaign team as a social media lead, states on social media that members of the party have been ‘dangling informationlessly from the ship for weeks’. “There have been 0 general conversations with members, while there is a great need for this. Fortunately, there is room for the press. At least we get to hear something.”
Approval requires the support of about 600 members, something the party says is easily achievable.