One in four leading candidates for the municipal elections has no political experience.
Mainly local and elderly parties have inexperienced people at the top of the list. More than 36 percent has held a board position previously.
NU.nl examined data from Overheid in Nederland about party leaders in the hundred largest municipalities in the Netherlands .
According to Arno Korsten professor of public administration at the University of Maastricht ,the inexperience of politicians doesn’t need to be a flaw. “It’’s good for the circulation in party. You do not always have the same people on the list.”
Green
An inexperienced party member is quickly initiated into the world of local politics, Korsten states. “What’s green, comes soon. Someone who is new, learns pretty quickly how politics works at that level.”
Also, the party leaders already rotated in the background in a party, according to Korsten. Or they have had a job where they came into contact with social issues, such as teacher or president.
“These are not just random people who end up on a list. Most have a good track record, although there is always a negative exception.”
Risk
Yet there is also some risk in the lack of political experience of leading candidates. “Especially if they end up in the mayor and aldermen. The fall of a councilor is often due to a lack of experience.”