A delegation headed by Stewart DICKSON (United Kingdom, ILDG), Congress Thematic Spokesperson on election observation, has carried out a mission to assess the local elections held in the Netherlands on 21 March 2018. On E-Day, four Congress teams visited some 50 polling stations throughout the country and observed the voting for the members of Municipal Councils (Mayors being directly appointed by the King upon proposal from the Councils).
In a first statement, the Congress welcomed the good organisation of the Election Day, the transparency of the process and the atmosphere of trust in which these elections took place. The location of many polling stations was conducive to citizen participation, since voters could cast their ballot in any polling station within their constituency including also train stations, retirement homes, busses, boats or museums.
Preliminary conclusions of the delegation refer also to issues which should be addressed by the Dutch authorities in view of future elections: The lack of regulations for campaign financing at the local level has the potential to affect the level playing field between candidates in a negative way. Proxy voting – which has a long tradition in the country – could expose vulnerable groups, particularly women or migrants, to pressure regarding their electoral choice. As for the counting, electronic systems could be tested during future elections in order to speed up the process.
An Information Report is currently being prepared and will be discussed at the next meeting of the Congress Monitoring Committee on 28 June 2018.
** 34th Session of the Congress **
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