“Maybe it is an advantage,” said the new D66 party leader Jan Paternotte on Tuesday afternoon, when he was asked by a journalist whether he would become a different party leader than his three colleagues in the coalition, because he was the only one who had not negotiated in the coalition. formation. Paternotte wants to “enter the debate with an open mind”. And then it may help, he thinks, that he does not know exactly “what was discussed in the Logement”, where the last phase of the coalition negotiations took place.
On Tuesday, the parliamentary group of D66 (24 seats) chose the 37-year-old Paternotte as the successor of Sigrid Kaag, now deputy prime minister and minister of Finance, and deputy parliamentary group chairman Rob Jetten, minister for Climate and Energy in the fourth Rutte cabinet (VVD, D66). , CDA and ChristenUnie). There were more MPs who seemed suitable and ambitious enough for the group presidency in the faction, which was known as having a heavy content. In the end, possible candidates such as Salima Belhaj announced that they were not interested.
Paternotte has been a member of the D66 parliamentary group since 2017, for which he spoke about healthcare and higher education. In recent months, in particular, as a corona spokesperson, he has stood out due to his sharp way of debating and outspoken positions. For example, he often argued for a 2G policy, in which only people who have been vaccinated or have recently recovered from the virus are admitted to the catering industry, among other things.
Paternotte has a long history in the party. For example, he was chairman of the Young Democrats and a councilor and chairman of the D66 faction in Amsterdam.
Paternotte is tasked with helping to shape a new administrative culture, with more dualism between the House and Cabinet. His position differs slightly from the other three faction leaders of the coalition parties, who themselves were able to put their stamp on the coalition agreement. The CDA previously opted for co-negotiator Pieter Heerma. On Tuesday, the VVD group appointed Mark Rutte’s second, Sophie Hermans, who had been acting party leader since the elections. Party leader and negotiator Gert-Jan Segers leads the parliamentary group of the Christian Union. In his own field, the corona crisis, Paternotte has become clear that there are different interests at stake in the coalition. He argued for stricter measures to prevent new lockdowns, but clashed with the Christian parties CDA and CU.
Also read: Coalition Rutte IV does not yet have a sustainable corona policy
In NRC Paternotte said last month that the coalition could therefore not easily develop a long-term strategy. The December coalition agreement also contains few passages about the corona crisis. Paternotte said his party should therefore seek support outside the coalition on issues such as 2G or vaccination. Now that the coalition intends to create more distance between the House and cabinet, and therefore to reduce the internal consultation circuit in the coalition, Paternotte should also do this more often in other areas.
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