Another Prominent Woman Quits National Politics over ‘Ugly’ Atmosphere; More Concerns Raised
Originally Published by NL Times
Independent Member of Parliament Liane den Haan announced on Thursday that she is leaving politics. “The current politics are ugly,” she stated on Twitter. She wrote that opportunism and populism makes up the current state of affairs, and that has caused the content of policy to fall by the wayside.
The MP, who has been in the Tweede Kamer since March 2021, also indicated that she is a frequent subject of hatred, abuse and misogyny. “This affects me, but it [affects] my children and my mother, who lives with us, even more,” she said.
Caretaker Minister of Finance and Deputy Prime Minister Sigrid Kaag also announced on Thursday that she would not be available to represent D66 as party leader again for the upcoming election. She came to this decision because of the threats made against her, which have caused “too much strain” on her family.
Several politicians then expressed their anger about the intimidation Kaag has experienced. According to political scientists Liza Mügge and Julia Wouters, there is a pattern of hatred towards female politicians in the Netherlands. “Because Kaag started talking about this, she turned it into a political problem,” said Mügge, an associate professor at the University of Amsterdam.