# D66 and Pro propose ban on politicians holding two offices

> The largest governing party and the largest opposition party want to change the law so that no politician can combine political posts, such as MP and local councillor.

Politics · published 2026-11-06 05:33 · https://nlnow.nl/a/d66-and-pro-propose-ban-on-politicians-holding-two-offices/

D66, the largest governing party, and Pro, the largest opposition party, have drawn up a joint plan to ban holding more than one political office at the same time. The proposal still has to be worked out and formally submitted.

Politicians can currently combine posts. They may sit in the Tweede Kamer and in the municipal council (gemeenteraad) of their home town, or be an alderman (wethouder) and a provincial assembly member in the same province. They are paid for each office. Some parties already forbid such combinations in their own rules.

Interior Affairs minister Heerma (CDA) reacted positively to the proposal. "I recognise how important it is to have clear, uncompromised relationships in our democratic government, and that means a balanced division of power, certainly between the different tiers of government," he said. It is therefore good to look critically again at double jobs, he added.

D66 MP Renilde Huizenga says holding several offices at once can cause conflicts of interest, or the appearance of them. A former provincial assembly member, she says it would be odd to decide on a provincial spatial plan and also be an alderman in the same province. "The work of an MP really takes more than forty hours a week," she says.

Pro MP Mo Mohandis says an alderman who is also a provincial assembly member could be tempted to favour his own municipality, for example over a new housing estate. He was once a councillor in Gouda, which took about 30 hours a week. "It's cheating the voters to pretend you can do both at the same time," he says.

Forum for Democracy will not back it. MP Milan Schenk, who is also a councillor in Teylingen, said in a debate this week: "It is up to the voter to judge that." He said he feels "almost insulted" because the proposal suggests he does not do his work properly, and that by his own account he works 100 hours a week to do both jobs well.

The proposal still has to be worked out and formally submitted.

## Background

- **Pro**: Pro is a Dutch political party represented in the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of the Dutch parliament (States General). It develops its own policy positions, takes part in debates on legislation, and votes on bills and motions in parliament.
- **gemeenteraad**: The gemeenteraad is the municipal council, the elected body of a Dutch municipality (gemeente). It adopts local bylaws and the municipal budget and supervises the mayor and aldermen (burgemeester and wethouders) who run the municipal executive.

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