Member of Parliament Harry Omlo from Klazienaveen is in position 11 on the electoral list for JA21 in the House of Representatives elections on Wednesday, November 22. Omlo is now faction leader and sole member of JA21 in the Provincial Council. Marco de Rijke from Assen is also on the list at position 24. Both are unelectable according to the latest poll.
With a long background in business and a deep-rooted involvement in local and regional issues, Harry Omlo brings a wealth of experience and dedication to JA21, according to the national party leadership. “As an entrepreneur, he understands better than anyone the challenges that companies and entrepreneurs face, and he is determined to represent their interests in politics.”
“The regions in the Netherlands are the beating heart of our society, and I believe that strong local communities and thriving businesses are the key to a prosperous country,” said Harry Omlo. “My decision to join JA21 is based on my deeply held belief that we must nurture the regions, foster entrepreneurship and strengthen the voice of the people in politics.”
If elected to the House of Representatives, Harry Omlo will be committed to issues such as economic growth, employment, and creating a favorable business environment in the Netherlands, according to JA12. He will also focus on strengthening regional autonomy and preserving the unique identity of the different regions in our country.
Omlo is now party chairman and the only remaining member of JA21 in the Provincial Council. An overview of his short political career so far: Omlo stormed into the Provincial Council for Forum for Democracy together with five others more than four years ago. With six seats, the party immediately became the largest in Drenthe, together with PvdA and VVD. Thomas Blinde became party leader. They ended up in the opposition.
A year later, the party fell apart after internal wrangling at the national branch and several Drenthe FvD members left the party. They will join the new JA21 at the end of 2020. With four seats, the party is still one of the largest parties in the Provincial Council. A few days later, Frank Duut from OpDrenthe also joins JA21 and there are five of them.
JA21 is wiped out in the Provincial Council elections. Only one seat remains and it goes to Thomas Blinde. But he steps down and Harry Omlo takes over his place.
Marco de Rijke from Assen is in position 24 on the JA21 electoral list. The WMD manager has been in politics before. He was chairman of Assen Centraal. But when his wife Anita de Rijke made herself available as a candidate for JA21 for the recent state elections, this was not accepted by Assen Centraal and both left the local party.
According to the latest poll for the House of Representatives elections of November 22, JA21 can count on 2 to 5 seats, which means that both Omlo and De Rijke would not end up in the blue benches.