Elections in the Netherlands, with Liesje Schreinemacher

On this episode of .think Atlantic, IRI’s Thibault Muzergues and a Dutch politician and a Member of European Parliament, Liesje Schreinemacher talk about the Netherlands as the Dutch go to the polls for important legislative elections these days. The general election is largely seen as a referendum on the government’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte is aiming to secure a fourth term with an election victory that would put him on course to be the Netherlands’ longest-serving government chief – but what next?

What explains the long-term dominance of the center-right parties in Dutch politics? Is the “frugal” branding of the Netherlands correct? How should we understand the Netherlands’ philosophy towards the EU? How does the Netherlands view the debate about strategic autonomy?

Liesje Schreinemacher is a Dutch politician and lawyer who is serving as a Member of the European Parliament for the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy political party. She was elected to the European Parliament in the 2019 European Parliament election and is a part of the Renew Europe parliamentary group. She is a member of the Committee on International Trade and the Committee on Legal Affairs and a part of the parliamentary delegation for relations with the United States and a member of the European Parliament Intergroup on LGBT Rights. 

Find Liesje on Twitter at @LSchreinemacher

Find Thibault on Twitter at @tmuzergues

Visit IRI’s website at www.iri.org