The first step towards a new coalition in Emmen has been taken. Cooperation beckons for Wakker Emmen, PvdA and the VVD. The report by informant Jisse Otter states “that this is the only variant that leads to a supported majority in the council.” Together they have 20 of the 39 seats.
The initiative lay with Wakker Emmen, who became by far the largest party after the municipal elections. Together with the PvdA, they have already formed a coalition over the past four years. An addition from the VVD “is in line with the shift to the right and the importance of the theme of security.”
After the elections, the Emmen council consists of thirteen parties. Otter writes that several parties do not rule out that the number will increase further during the council term. That is why administrative stability is also taken into account when forming a coalition, with the aim of retaining the majority for four years.
Four parties indicate that they support the preferred variant, bringing it to a total of 21 seats. The report does not mention which party has the last seat. GroenLinks (1 seat) confirms that they have not indicated a preference for a coalition with the VVD. They prefer to work with the CDA.
The CDA, like Forum for Democracy and the PvdA, won four seats. This makes them the second largest parties in the council. In the report, a variant with the CDA is not identified as a preference, but Wakker Emmen opts for cooperation with the VVD, which has 2 seats.
“I find it difficult to understand and accept that we now seem to be outside the coalition,” says CDA party leader René Wittendorp. “Whether I am disappointed in Wakker Emmen and the PvdA? I will not go into that now. We will first discuss the report in the faction.”
The PvdA has considered joining the opposition. Yet the party does not opt for that. “The care for Emmen is close to our hearts,” said party leader Raymond Wanders. “We think that our loss is not due to our local work, but due to the national image of the PvdA. Otherwise the coalition would have lost more. That is why we believe participation in the board is necessary.” The party emphasizes that cooperation with Wakker Emmen has gone well in the past. “We consciously opt for stability,” says Wanders.
VVD party leader Patrick de Jonge is happy with the report. “Of course we first have to form and reach agreements together. But it is nice that our constructive attitude of recent years has been rewarded. We take that responsibility seriously. At the same time, with two seats, modesty also suits us.”
René van der Weide says on behalf of Wakker Emmen that he wants to do justice to the results. “We get two clear signals from the result. Firstly, there is new confirmation for us as a local party. We are of course very happy with that, and that gives confidence. In addition, we see a shift to the right. In that light, the VVD is a logical partner.”
“In our opinion, Forum for Democracy and the PVV have shown in recent years that they are not stable parties. There were several splits. We have worked well with the VVD in recent years, especially in the field of security. That also gives confidence,” said Van der Weide.
Jisse Otter’s information report will be presented to the council on April 9 and the parties can respond. It is clear that many parties indicate that they want an outline coalition agreement. This means there must remain room for debate and cooperation.
The information interviews showed that safety is mentioned as the most important theme by almost all parties. In addition, the themes of housing, accessibility, quality of public space, youth, the social domain, the growth of Emmen and finance are considered important.
