Voting recommendation DWARS: Catarina Vieira and Kenville Kleinmoedig for MEP

The GL-PvdA list of candidates for the European parliamentary elections was announced on Monday. That list includes two DWARSers! We recommend voting Catarina Vieira (place 10) Kenville Kleinmoedig (number 18) up the joint list in the online list referendum!

As DWARS, we are of course incredibly proud of Catarina and Kenville. We hope they will represent the young sound in Brussels, which is all the more important given the average age of an MEP (49.5 years) and the fact that only 3% of its members are under 35. This is worrying, especially as the European Union should strive to pursue policies that precisely represent the interests of future generations. In light of the current pressure on European climate policy, it is crucial that young people show how important it is to work on it. Apart from that, it is simply not fair and equitable if only people over 45 take the decisions for our Union that affect all generations.Therefore, it is high time for a green, red and young wave. Only then can we work towards a green European future.

DWARS is calling for Catarina Vieira and Kenville Kleinmoedig to be listed as high as possible in GroenLinks's list referendum! You can find the link to vote and your voting code in the email from Katinka Eikelenboom (if you are a member of GroenLinks), sent on 6 February. 

Catarina and Kenville are happy to introduce themselves to you below!

Proposal piece by Catarina
My name is Catarina and I am in spot #5 of the GroenLinks list. I am from Azores, Portugal and I have lived in the Netherlands since 2017, first in Utrecht and now in Hilversum. Since 2022, I have been part of the GroenLinks delegation to the European Green Party. There, I feel at home with our green European family, with parties from 35 countries coming together to debate our positions and learn from each other. I work as an EU policy advisor at an NGO, working on European legislation for environmentally friendly and responsible business. Now I want to bring about change from within as an MEP. I also want to ensure that the voices of our generation are heard loud and clear. Not only in the fight against climate change, but also in the fight for the right to be who you are, to be in charge of your own body and to live free from discrimination. If you want to support me, put me in spot 4 or higher. I look forward to running a very nice campaign together!

Proposal piece by Kenville
Hi, my name is Kenville Kleinmoedig, I was born and raised in Curaçao and I was nominated at spot #9 on GroenLinks's list for Europe. I have been an active member at DWARS and GroenLinks since 2019. I came to the Netherlands to study business administration at Hogeschool Rotterdam and then did a master's degree in International and European Governance at Leiden University. I have experience as chairman of several co-signature boards and have been co-campaign leader of GroenLinks Rotterdam for some time now

🍀I want to enter the European Parliament because I want to fight for a fairer and more equal Europe.
I want to ensure that relations with smaller (egg) countries within the European Community are improved and that asking for help from the EU is made easier.
I want a Europe that is inclusive, broadly diverse and where young people have a permanent place at the table. I hope for your support in this, so put me in place #5 for the referendum!

* GroenLinks members can vote only for the GroenLinks part of the list, Labour Party members only for the Labour Party part. The voting procedure works as follows: for each spot (or position) on the list, there is a kind of mini-referendum. The candidate who, after instant runoff voting, earns a majority, gets that spot on the list. Suppose the candidate you wanted on that position does not get a majority for that position, the votes still count for the next highest position your candidate qualifies for. So if you want people higher on the list, it is best to give them the highest possible position in your order for the list referendum.