Five candidates highlighted

Writer: Koen Donatz

GroenLinks's candidate list is a very diverse, young and idealistic list, and we as DWARS Amsterdam are extremely happy with that. There are a few candidates who stand out for us, which we would like to highlight for you.

#9 Kauthar Bouchallikht

This 27-year-old newcomer is an important icon of the climate generation. She was a campaigner for the Climate March, coordinated the Climate Strike and chaired the Green Muslims Foundation. Her commitment to the climate movement earned her a spot in the Sustainable Young 100, and Kauthar has also written for De Correspondent and OneWorld, among others. As someone from our generation, Kauthar will be able to articulate our concerns about climate well in the Lower House.

#10 Lisa Westerveld

Lisa's fight for equal opportunities in education began years before she became a member of parliament. In her student days, for instance, she was president of the National Student Union for two years. For the past four years, as spokesperson on education and youth welfare in the Lower House, Lisa has been campaigning for young people in the Netherlands. This included passing her motion asking the government to abolish the binding nature of the BSA. In a second term in Parliament, Lisa can continue her fight for equal opportunities for young people.

#14 Laura Vissenberg

Laura has specialised in a cause of inequality that is very little discussed: financial and tax regulations. It is precisely in these kinds of rules, Laura argues, that the greatest inequality is hidden. Laura should know, having been active in politics for almost 10 years. She first did so as a researcher for the parliamentary inquiry ‘financial system’. Then she became a policy officer on finance and political advisor to GroenLinks's parliamentary group. In that role, she brought the renowned economist Thomas Piketty, among others, to the Lower House. In 2016, she made the switch to municipal politics in Amsterdam, where she became an advisor to the mayor. With this experience and knowledge, Laura has the right tools to reduce economic inequality.

#21 Simion Blom

Simion is a rising star within GroenLinks, bringing a mountain of experience from Amsterdam municipal politics to The Hague. He was a district councilor in Amsterdam Zuidoost from 2010 - 2014, after which he made the transition to the city council, where he has been active for 7 years. Simion stands for inclusiveness and for tackling racism and discrimination. For example, Simion managed to persuade the city council to decide to build a slavery museum. The fight for inclusiveness and equality that Simion has been waging for years in Amsterdam, he will continue in the Lower House.

#34 Romano Boshove

24-year-old Romano is the youngest candidate on GroenLinks's list. This young, political talent has been the parliamentary group chairman of GroenLinks Hardenberg since 2018. From this experience, Romano brings knowledge to The Hague of a wide range of issues, from discrimination to gas extraction. Romano is also active at DWARS as a member of the Advisory Board and, as an active DWARSer, he can represent our ideals in the Chamber like no other.