News from Amsterdam, Netherlands
Nov 24 2006

More male and white MP’s

24 November 2006 – The number of ethnic minority MP’s will drop from
16 to 11 or 12, Allochtonenweblog predicts. Half of them are from
Amsterdam.

The Amsterdammers expected to be elected are Samira Abbos
(Social-Democrat PvdA), John Leerdam (PvdA), Sadet Karabulut (SP),
Laetitia Griffith (Conservative VVD), Naïma Azough (Green Party
GroenLinks) and Tofik Dibi (GroenLinks). The ANP news agency further
calculated that the share of women MP’s will drop from 39 to 36%.

The situation can still change if MP’s become members of the new
government and if non-elected candidates enter Parliament on the
basis of preferential votes. For example, Khadija Arib stands a good
chance of becoming an MP again if the PvdA will be part of the new
government.

Fatma Koser Kaya (Social-Liberal D66) might benefit from the campaign
Turkish organisations waged for her, to protest against the position
of PvdA and Christian-Democrat CDA in the debate about the Armenian
genocide. The preferential votes will be published Monday.