Jesse Klaver has been appointed leader of the GroenLinks-PvdA faction in the House of Representatives. He succeeds Frans Timmermans and was the only candidate for the position. According to Inge Oosting (chairman of PvdA Drenthe) and Mira Hamraoui (chairman of GroenLinks Drenthe), the appointment is a logical step.
“It’s not really a surprise. Although the PvdA’s eyes were on Marjolein Moorman,” says Oosting about number six on the candidate list. Moorman is currently an alderman in Amsterdam and is involved in education, among other things. “She received a large number of votes in the House of Representatives elections. But she does not want to take on this role now due to her limited experience in the House.”
Oosting emphasizes that experience is crucial for this position at the party. “This is a logical step. It is important that an experienced person does this, especially now that there is a lot at stake with the upcoming negotiations and the cabinet formation.” Klaver has been in Parliament for more than fifteen years and was leader of GroenLinks for many years. Two years ago, he led the merged GroenLinks-PvdA faction for a short time, until Timmermans took office.
Mira Hamraoui, chairman of GroenLinks Drenthe, also thinks so. “Someone must chair the faction with experience. There is quite a chance that we (GL-PvdA, ed.) will participate in the cabinet formation. Jesse Klaver is the most logical option. He already has a lot of experience in the House of Representatives, and he was at the beginning of the collaboration between GroenLinks and PvdA. He already knows both parties well.”
Klaver’s outspoken GroenLinks background does not matter much to PvdA member Oosting. “Jesse Klaver has always been from GroenLinks, just like Frans Timmermans is a PvdA member. Ultimately, it is about implementing the election manifesto. Who is party leader essentially makes no difference.”
Formations will take place in The Hague in the near future and GroenLinks-PvdA may also join the final coalition. “An agreement on the left is possible, but the VVD excludes GroenLinks-PvdA. As the largest party, D66 is open to this,” says Oosting. “But the most important thing is that the country is governed, so parties have to compromise in any case. They have to take responsibility and govern in a stable manner.”
Whether Klaver is a candidate who can remove some of the VVD’s resistance to GroenLinks-PvdA? “I find that very difficult,” says GroenLinks member Hamraoui. “We are too far away for that. We in Drenthe have an interest in a stable coalition that will get to work. We would like to see GroenLinks-PvdA become part of that and thus contribute to that stable coalition and to the future of Drenthe.”
By his appointment, Klaver will not automatically be party chairman for GroenLinks-PvdA for a longer period of time. The merger party will decide on this at a later time. Oosting: “Then we have to wait and see who makes themselves available and the members will then be asked to choose a possible new leader.”