One more night of sleep and then we can go to the polls again. Tension is rising in The Hague: parties are using their last trump cards, campaigns are working overtime and every word can win or cost votes. In the Omroep Brabant radio program KEIgoeiemorgen! former VVD member Klaas Dijkhoff looks back on the hecticness of that final phase.
The former party leader, who was in the House of Representatives between 2017 and 2021, can still remember those last 24 hours before the polls opened. “It depends a bit on your current situation,” says the Breda resident. “Or you think it’s all fine and wait patiently until the referee blows the whistle. But the other scenario is that you still have one day to turn everything upside down.”
According to him, one thing is certain. “They are all tired,” laughs Dijkhoff. He does not miss campaigning. “I like to talk about it with my daughter, but I’d rather be rid of the hustle and bustle.”
“Hopefully they still have a little energy left.”
He emphasizes how important the last television debate on Tuesday evening is. “That’s what most people are watching. Of course there are people like me, who have been following everything for weeks, from debates to campaigns. But there are also people who think: I have to vote tomorrow, let me go and have a look tonight. A minute tonight at the debate can sometimes yield more than everything you have done in recent weeks. Hopefully they still have a little energy left.”
The former politician is positively surprised by the parties’ campaigns in the past period. “I thought they were a bit more conservative and substantive than last time.” According to him, Wilders in particular is better kept under control. “They hold up well when he barks through it again. I see a mentality of: letting it go. People who like Wilders still vote for him, so they let it influence their campaigns less.”
“Becoming champion on the last day is of course extra special.”
The polls show that we are currently in a final sprint with five parties. “If it were sport, it would be fun. Becoming champion on the last day is of course extra special,” Dijkhoff jokes.
He finds it difficult to identify an absolute favorite for the elections. “This is the most floating audience ever. In previous elections, many people became very enthusiastic about certain politicians. Now it seems more envy that drives the vote: ‘I don’t like that person, so I will vote for the other person’.”
“Everything depends on that result.”
Election day is the end of a very long marathon, he remembers. “Campaign leaders have a well-deserved holiday tomorrow. They get together, eat a pastry and then they vote.” It is a bit more exciting for politicians themselves. “They cannot relax yet. Everything depends on the outcome. And this time it is so uncertain for everyone that it could go either way. If I were them, I would sleep in late tomorrow, book a massage or go to the cinema. In short: suppress stress.”
According to the former VVD member, the bad weather in the Netherlands could still play a role tomorrow. “If you vote grumpy, it often doesn’t turn out positively,” he says with a wink. He has tips to prevent that. “Put on a good record to get in the right mood. Hopefully you will be able to tune down a little.” And whether Dijkhoff himself will also abandon the VVD and move towards the middle? “Are you crazy, I said milder, not vaguer.”