Doubts about a left-wing merger between GroenLinks and PvdA are growing among their supporters, according to a poll by EenVandaag among voters of both parties. Rotterdam Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb is a favorite when asked who should lead the Integration Party.
Previously, the voices about left-wing integration sounded more positive, but mainly the group of skeptics grew. The difference is especially important at GroenLinks. In April, 57 percent of voters were still in favor of a merger, but now that it appears to be approaching, that number has shrunk to 44 percent. At PvdA, the number has hardly changed in recent months. The number of opponents on either side did not increase.
Referees PvdA
A large portion of skeptics say they first want more concrete information before making a final decision. Nor are some voters eager to join (former) politicians from the other side. Voter at GroenLinks: , PvdA has a series of governors covering the most luxurious big corporations we must fight against. For example, I’m very far from someone like Dick Pinchob.”
Supporters hope for more left-wing influence in the House of Representatives. However, about 30 percent of polled voters from both parties oppose merger. They fear that a joint green-red party will not win more seats than both parties separately. They also believe that the cultures and politicians of the parties are incompatible.
GroenLinks and PvdA voters say a resounding “yes” about the potential joint faction in the Senate. 68 percent of GroenLinks voters and 72 percent of PvdA voters believe the parties should work together after next year’s Senate elections. In addition to the fact that the joint faction improves the position of power, voters see it as an experiment. Let’s see how the cooperation with the Senate part goes. If all goes well, you can remove people’s doubts,” says one respondent.
aboutaleb
The study also presented a number of prominent party figures as a potential leader of the new party. One candidate is clearly emerging as a leader with broad bipartisan support: Rotterdam mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb. About three-quarters of PvdA voters and two-thirds of GroenLinks members want a merger party led by the popular mayor. Frans Timmermans, Dutch European Commissioner and PvdA member, ranked second in opinion polls.
The problem is that both politicians have already indicated that they have no ambitions to lead the integration party. GroenLinks leader Jesse Klaver and fellow PvdA Attje Kuiken are supported by their own parties, but the other party doesn’t like the other party’s leader. Other politicians who have been introduced, such as Amsterdam’s PvdA leader Marjoleen Moormann, GroenLinks MP Corinne Ellemeet or former GroenLinks MP Bram van Ojjek, are clearly having a hard time assessing voters as a potential leader.
The EenVandaag poll was conducted on 6 and 7 June 2022. The poll included 2,692 people who voted for PvdA in the last parliamentary elections and 1,637 people who voted for GroenLinks.
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