THE HAGUE – The coalition parties are not gaining any support from the purchasing power help they promised on Budget Day. In a poll by EenVandaag and research agency Ipsos, it is mainly the opposition party PvdA gaining ground. The labor party gained four seats compared to the same poll a month ago.
The coalition parties VVD, D66, CDA, and CrhistenUnie together lost five seats, bringing them to 54 seats in parliament. Both the VVD and D66 lost two seats compared to the previous poll.
According to the researchers, PvdA leader Attje Kuiken is getting credit for her constructive attitude. She and GroenLinks convinced the Cabinet to put a price cap on energy for this year. According to the poll, the PvdA now stands at 12 seats, four more than last month. The party won nine seats in the parliamentary elections in March last year.
Six months ago, Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s VVD stood at 34 seats, the same as in the parliamentary elections. But in the latest poll by Ipsos and EenVandaag, the VVD dropped to 25 seats.
VVD voters are concerned about the future of the party and its leadership. Former VVD voters find the party shifted too much to the left and is, therefore, difficult to distinguish from the D66, according to the researchers.
