Members of the PvdA will also be informed earlier about what is stated in the provincial administrative agreement. In an inserted, digital members’ meeting, members receive an explanation from the PvdA negotiators. On Wednesday, Omroep Brabant reported that GroenLinks will present parts of the administrative agreement to the members on Saturday. This led to angry reactions from opposition parties.
The agreement will not actually be made public until next week, formateur Pieter Verhoeve announced earlier this week. But members of the PvdA and GroenLinks get to see it earlier.
Permission
It is more common for parties to request permission or consult with their members about an administrative agreement. This is a common step, especially for left-wing parties, before they can participate in government. “We always do this,” says PvdA party leader Ward Deckers. “It is customary that we only sign an agreement if the members agree.”
What makes the opposition so angry is that members of GroenLinks and now also the PvdA know earlier what is in the administrative agreement than the rest of the Brabant people. They believe that the members of those parties are not above the rest of the people of Brabant and the Provincial Council.
Nico Heijmans (SP) said about this: “Then present a draft administrative agreement to everyone. With the remark that the parties still have to agree to it. Then everyone has the same information at the same time.”
On Wednesday evening, the PvdA members received an email from the party board inviting an online meeting. In it, the negotiators of the PvdA will explain the administrative agreement.
Risk of leaks
The meeting of the PvdA is therefore digital and that increases the risk of leaks. A non-member could simply watch with someone who is a member. As a result, and because of the members’ meeting of GroenLinks a day later, there is a risk that the content of the administrative agreement will be made public by next weekend.
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