VVD loses minimally and seems to become the largest national party | Politics

It is shortly before midnight when Prime Minister Mark Rutte takes the stage in De Prael brewery in The Hague. “The picture for us as VVD is that there are municipalities where we have pluses, many municipalities where we remain the same and also places where we fall slightly.” Then to claim the victory. ,,It is impossible to say how that will play out for the rest of the evening. But I do know one thing: it looks like we will be the biggest party.”

If the VVD indeed succeeds, it will only be the first time that the liberals have been the largest during the municipal elections. Until now, the CDA has always been that way, although in 2018 with minimal difference.

However, Rutte and the party leaders did not want to sell the hide before the bear had been shot. Throughout the evening, all party leaders of the VVD kept remarkably quiet, in what appeared to be a conscious strategy. No one wanted to anticipate the result in front of the media present, afraid of an unpleasant surprise. “No, I’m not the first to say something,” for example, party leader Sophie Hermans said around half past ten, after quite a few exit polls showed that the VVD will lose only slightly.

It meant that all prior polls were pretty accurate. The latest I&O poll predicted a loss of more than 2.3 percent. In practice, however, the VVD seems to be doing slightly better. For example, there is a loss of 1.7 percent in the Rotterdam exit poll, and 1.5 percent in Breda. In Zwolle and Veendam the match remains exactly the same. In Amsterdam, too, the VVD is only losing slightly.

It is exactly what most VVD members already expected. The mood switches from good to exuberant when our own mayor Jan van Zanen on regional channel TV West announces the provisional result in The Hague, based on 57 percent of the votes. The VVD is doing very well in the Hofstad and retains its seven seats. An ovational applause follows.

Only then does campaign manager Thierry Aartsen dare to address the VVD members a little after ten-thirty. He thanks everyone, but keeps his arm tight. ,,The first results are in and we have a chance to become the largest party nationally. It will be a long long evening, 90 percent of the votes have yet to be counted, but I am confident.”

After Aartsen, The Hague party leader Anne Mulder knows how to stir up his party members even more. “You did a great job. If we do indeed succeed in keeping the seats we won four years ago in The Hague, then we have done a fantastic job.”

Interim party chairman Onno Hoes also congratulates his party members on the campaign. “We really took everything out and left nothing behind.” He says that because of corona, the campaign was mainly conducted through personal conversations at the door. ,,Folder by folder, flyer by flyer, we went through the doors. We have been less in markets and crowded places this campaign.”