The BBB has appointed mayor Pieter Verhoeve (SGP) of Gouda as formateur. He considers it an ‘honorable job’, but certainly not an easy one. The task of helping Brabant with a new board now rests on his shoulders. “He has a good sense of politics and can bring parties together.”
The differences between coalition candidates BBB, VVD, GroenLinks and PvdA are large. Especially when it comes to nitrogen. According to scout Sacha Ausems, the formateur must ensure that these parties ‘come into the same reality’.
Does Verhoeve actually know what he said yes to? Yes: “I also think it is important that all parties work in the same reality.”
Gouda-Den Bosch
The formateur was received on Friday morning at the provincial house in Den Bosch. There he was able to meet BBB leader John Frenken, among others.
Why an SGP mayor from Gouda? John Frenken: “We think it would be best with someone from outside Brabant. Pieter Verhoeve is resolute, has a good sense of politics and can bring parties together. Those are qualities we look for in a formateur.”
Stable deadline
A first stumbling point is already lurking. The BBB demands that the deadline for installing a low-emission housing system be removed. Now it is still on July 1, 2024. Local Brabant also wants that, but says it will not make a hard breaking point.
If it is up to the VVD and GroenLinks, the deadline will remain. The PvdA also wants the goals to remain, but realizes that ‘the longer it takes, the more difficult it will be’. That is why we need to talk about it quickly, says the PvdA.
Earlier, GroenLinks party chairman Jade van der Linden told Omroep Brabant that she is curious about the BBB’s solutions to achieve the nitrogen targets. John Frenken does not want to make any statements about this yet.
Fascinating combination
The formateur calls BBB and GroenLinks ‘an exciting combination’ that fits the wish of many parties that the largest parties should try it together. “Let’s work on a good atmosphere. Allowing each other something is also part of reaching an agreement that allows you to move forward.”
The second option of scout Ausems for a coalition is BBB, VVD, SP, Local Brabant and a fifth party. BBB and VVD are therefore also needed for this. But what if it is not possible to get those parties on the same page? “We need to know exactly where their interests and wishes lie. Only then can we see if they can work it out together,” says the formateur.
A majority without the VVD is virtually impossible for the BBB. Conversely, the VVD could form a coalition without the BBB. But such a formation will not be easy either.