Eline Vedder from Ruinerwold is in second place in the CDA for the upcoming parliamentary elections, behind party leader Henri Bontebal. According to Vedder it is important that a Drent is so high. “Rural areas are hopelessly underrepresented in The Hague.”
Saturday afternoon around noon she received a phone call, Vedder is going as number 2 towards the elections in November. “I’m still a bit confused myself. I didn’t expect it, even though there were people around me who predicted it.”
In May, Vedder was installed in the House of Representatives, after Jaco Geurts started working as acting mayor of Maasdriel. In the meantime, she has experienced everything necessary within the CDA. Prominents such as Wopke Hoekstra and Hugo de Jonge are missing from the list and Henri Bontebal has been appointed as the new party leader.
“Henri also called me, he wanted me to come in second place,” says Vedder. In the ‘new CDA’, the contrast in terms of background between numbers 1 and 2 is also great. Bontebal grew up in Rotterdam and Vedder in the countryside. “But Henri has a story that I believe in. I expect a social sound with him.”
Vedder has a big task ahead of him with the CDA. In the polls, the Christian Democrats have six seats, which would mean the lowest number ever in the House of Representatives. With this, Vedder seems to be assured of a place in the Dutch parliament in the coming years, although that is not a priority for the Ruinerwolder. “It’s more important that we do what we say.”
As a coalition party, you often have to compromise in order to reach a compromise. Would it therefore not be wiser for the CDA to join the opposition in November? “If the elections turn out the way they are now, I think it would be unwise to join the government,” says Vedder. But never say never. “The CDA does not run away from its responsibility.”
With Vedder on the list, the CDA has a politician who wants to represent the countryside. “It is important that a Drent is so high. It quickly becomes a matter of course that you are skipped as a Drent. I feel responsible for the Northern Netherlands.”
In June, Vedder was still in the news because her phone number was shared on social media. But that was no reason for her to take a back seat. “To be honest, it didn’t bother me that much. Unfortunately, it’s part of it these days.”
The summer recess in the House of Representatives is over today, so the coming months will mostly be dominated by the elections for Vedder. “I haven’t seen my colleagues for a long time. But I have a lot of confidence in my group and we are all going for a fresh new start.”