The chairman of the Senate Jan Anthonie Bruijn (VVD) has expressed regret for his behaviour. “In my behavior last year I sometimes let myself be guided too much by my emotions,” Bruijn sent last Monday in an internal email that was published on Friday by NOS. “That resulted in inadequate treatment.”
Bruijn, chairman of the Senate since 2019, was discredited last week by accusations from officials about his authoritarian behavior. For a year it was complained that Bruijn behaved unpleasantly towards them. He was also approached by the clerk of the senate, but he did not adjust his behavior. According to NOS, it would be about anger outbursts, although Bruijn did not recognize himself in those reports. “The firmness you need as chairman can sometimes turn against you if you use it incorrectly or go too far,” explains Bruijn in the internal email.
The Senate must elect a new president next Tuesday. Bruijn wants to be re-elected. The VVD member has indicated that he will start an ‘improvement process’ in response to the reports. The BoerenBurgerBeweging (BBB), with sixteen seats the largest party in the Senate, confirmed on Friday that it will support Bruijn in his new candidacy. The largest party often provides its own presidential candidate, but the BBB says it wants to focus on training the group.
Read also: The clerk of the Senate had long been addressing chairman Jan Anthonie Bruijn about his behavior