According to the new board, leader Esther Ouwehand of the Party for the Animals has not been guilty of integrity violations. The board believes that Ouwehand “deserves every confidence as party leader and party leader of the Party for the Animals,” according to a press release on Friday.
The board says that an “independent review” of integrity reports against Ouwehand has taken place. The reports were handled by the party chairman, assisted by members of the executive board. Advice was requested from an external expert in the field of association law. The board also had the results independently tested by two external experts in the field of integrity, the new board says.
Whistleblower
The previous board withdrew Ouwehand as party leader on September 9 after “signals and information” that pointed to “violations of integrity”. This board had received emails from a political assistant to Ouwehand through a whistleblower. These emails contained strategies to put pressure on the old board and to remove board secretary Elze Boshart from the board.
In conversations with the party’s integrity secretary, Ouwehand indicated that he saw no problem in these documents. “My employee must have the freedom to explain scenarios to me without obligation. In fact, that is his job,” she later said NRC.
The previous board, which had had difficulty contacting Ouwehand for some time, found the emails undermining. In addition, Ouwehand had distributed a letter within the party on September 8 with accusations against the board.
Read the article The other side of Esther Ouwehand
According to the old board, Ouwehand acted in violation of the party’s Code of Conduct. For example, members may not spread false information, must behave respectfully, and must not intimidate or exclude others. A violation of the code of conduct is considered an ‘integrity violation’. The Code of Conduct also states that faction leaders must report a suspicion of an integrity violation.
Massive support
After Ouwehand withdrew as party leader, she received massive support from the party. Ouwehand’s lawyer threatened to take legal action and the old board decided to resign. In a statement, the board still called Ouwehand unsuitable to lead the party.
A new board was established, chaired by Michiel Knol, which was nominated by department boards of the party and the board of youth organization PINK!. A majority of this board supported a statement of support for Ouwehand during the conflict.
The integrity secretary of the party who handled the reports has recently been put under pressure by Ouwehand, it was reported NRC Friday. Ouwehand’s lawyer demanded through the new board that the reports would be handled before the members’ conference on Sunday, September 24. At this conference, the electoral list and Ouwehand’s list leadership would be voted on. Ouwehand also sent an email to the integrity secretary in which she complained about her approach.
“The board has read the relevant email and concludes that Ouwehand correctly pointed out to the integrity secretary the careless and incorrect treatment of her employee and herself,” the new board now states in the press release.
‘Bad employer practices’
The new board has also decided to appoint an external integrity secretary “in response to recent events”. The current integrity secretary will be assisted by this external colleague, party chairman Knol explains.
The previous board reported that reports had previously been received against Ouwehand about “bad employer practices”. An employee recently withdrew a report out of fear, sources told NRC. Furthermore, at least three reports have recently been received by this newspaper. Party chairman Knol says on the telephone that he is not at all familiar with these reports.
“The nine reports against Ouwehand all come from members of the former party board,” the press release states. According to the new board, these reports are all unfounded.
Three of the party’s five sitting MPs, Christine Teunissen, Frank Wassenberg and Eva van Esch, have released a short written statement: “We do not recognize the harmful anonymous slander about Esther Ouwehand in NRC. We know Esther as someone with a lot of empathy, especially when someone is confronted with illness or loss.
The anonymous slander now looks like character assassination.”
On X, formerly Twitter, Ouwehand himself writes: “Relieved, happy and proud. Phew, what intense growing pains for our wonderful party.”