Fons, what happened during the press conference?
“After six days with zero explanation, this was a painful press conference. There were apologies and regrets, but also puzzling answers. Kaag did not remember any previous text messages with the victim, did not contact the victim and there will be no new investigation. And why this explanation had to take so long, no one could explain.”
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How big is the damage for Kaag?
“This is very damaging to Sigrid Kaag. In polls, confidence in her has plummeted. Kaag has always prided herself on moral leadership, on new leadership. She built her entire campaign around that. That is precisely why her wait-and-see attitude in recent years and the The silence of this week is so damaging.It also remains painful for the party: D66 demanded a MeToo investigation in politics in 2018, Kaag and other D66 politicians firmly advocate for women’s rights and the interests of victims. association properly.”
Does someone have to leave?
“That could have been possible, but that has not happened yet. If the party board has failed like that in recent years, it was also an option if, for example, the chairman would take his responsibility. chairman or the entire board resigned.”
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What now?
“In the D66 summit they will hope that the crisis atmosphere in the party will now decrease, but a members meeting will follow. More than 750 members, including active members, have now signed a petition online. It is questionable whether the sometimes inadequate explanation of the party leadership will also reassure its own members. In addition, the question remains how the party has dealt with other reports and whether they have been sufficiently and exhaustively investigated.”
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