JA21 Leader Signals Right-Wing Focus, Open to coalition with PVV and CDA
teh JA21 party, currently polling for seven to eleven seats in the upcoming Dutch elections, is signaling a willingness to participate in government, but only as part of a center-right coalition. Party leader Robbert Eerdmans emphasized his openness to collaboration with other parties, including the PVV and CDA, even if it requires compromise on specific policy points.This positioning comes as other parties begin to define their potential coalition paths less than two months before voters head to the polls.
Eerdmans’ remarks, delivered in a recent speech, underscore a desire for a ”stable, decisive center-right coalition,” directly addressing concerns about potential instability raised by PVV leader Geert Wilders’ expressed preference for a minority government. The JA21 leader questioned whether a minority coalition is the appropriate response to the current political landscape, while together highlighting the party’s commitment to avoiding a left-leaning government.
According to a weighted average of polls from IPSOS I&O and Verian/ EenVandaag, JA21’s potential seat count places it as a significant player in forming a governing majority. Eerdmans specifically welcomed recent additions to the JA21 candidate list, former NSC MP Diederik Boomsma, whom he called “our classroom and great number 6,” and former PVV State secretary Ingrid Coenradie, who is positioned as the party’s number 3, behind Eerdmans and Annabel Nanninga.
The JA21 leader’s statements drew a pointed response from Pieter van Bontenbal,who challenged the CDA to “confess color” and avoid aligning with more left-leaning parties. Van Bontenbal explicitly stated his opposition to a cabinet that woudl continue policies of “uncontrolled immigration” and increased involvement with Brussels.