Cees van de Sanden has left the VVD (People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy) faction in the Senate due to dissatisfaction with the party’s direction. He is taking his seat with him and will continue as an independent senator.
“In recent years, the VVD has drifted further and further away from its own liberal core values,” Van de Sanden said in a statement Wednesday.
“Decisions such as the support for asylum emergency measures, the Uganda plan, the administrative ban without judicial intervention on motorcycle gangs, and the Antifa motion are at odds with the principles of freedom, equality, and the rule of law. I can no longer reconcile this course with my own liberal compass.”
The departure of Van de Sanden is significant because of the upcoming parliamentary elections and the increasing pressure on party leader Dilan Yesilgöz. The VVD is performing poorly in the polls, and Yesilgöz is being accused of populism.
Van de Sanden is not only disappointed by the populist statements of VVD members or the agreement with certain motions. He also disagrees with the VVD’s silence when coalition partner BBB, for example, calls the Council of State a D66 stronghold.
“I would like to see the VVD stand up at that moment and say: wait a minute, we see that differently. By remaining silent, you are also undermining the rule of law,” he told de Volkskrant .
Van de Sanden served in the Senate for the VVD for over two years. The party now has nine seats left in the Senate.