Parliament gave a divided reaction on Friday to comments by home affairs minister Ronald Plasterk that European elections should be held on Sunday in the Netherlands.

The Netherlands has been stopped by Brussels from publishing the official results of Thursday’s European parliament elections ahead of Sunday’s vote in most of the rest of the EU.

Plasterk says that moving EU elections to Sunday could increase turnout, although he is careful to point out that there must be a solution for people who want to respect the Sunday rest.

Interesting

Coalition partner the right-wing Liberal VVD thinks it is ‘an interesting thought’ because most EU countries vote on Sunday, the Nos reports.

However, the party’s MP Joost Taverne said an alternative would have to be found for people who do not want to vote on Sunday on principle. They could vote by mail or a polling station could be opened on a week day for them.

The Socialists agreed with him, but took issue with the timing of Plasterk’s comments. ‘We’ve just been criticised by Brussels for our election day which really has nothing to do with the European Commission,’ one of its MPs said.

Nor do the Socialist think moving election day would increase turnout.

Both the small Christian parties – SGP and ChristenUnie – are critical of the idea. ‘People who do not vote on Thursday are unlikely to do so on Sunday,’ the Nos quotes SGP party leader Kees van der Staaij as saying.