The House of Representatives will elect a new Speaker of the House today, the outcome cannot yet be predicted

Also read: As deputy Speaker of the House, PVV member Martin Bosma keeps thoughts about ‘left-wing elites’ and ‘multiculturalism’ to himself

The procedure starts at 10:15 am. The two candidates will first answer questions from the House and further explain their motivation. Then all MPs cast their votes. This is done anonymously, so that everyone can make their own decision.

It is expected that the (centre) left parties (D66, Volt, GroenLinks-PvdA, ChristenUnie, SP, Denk, Party for the Animals) will vote for Van der Lee to prevent a PVV member from becoming chairman. On the right, support from the PVV, BBB, FVD, JA21 and SGP seems assured for Bosma. This means that the vote of MPs from the VVD, NSC and CDA will be decisive.

Also read: Experienced GroenLinks member Tom van der Lee has announced his candidacy for chairman of the House of Representatives

The new chairman not only has the task of steering parliamentary debates in the right direction, but is also the face of the House of Representatives to the outside world. For example, the chairman receives important visits to the House from both domestic and foreign prominent figures. In addition, the Speaker of the House represents Parliament at important events, commemorations and receptions, such as the national commemoration of the dead on Dam Square on May 4.