The Netherlands goes to the polls to vote for 342 local councils on March 18 and Dutch News is focusing on the campaigns in 10 towns and cities where most internationals live. Housing tops the list in Maastricht but worries about bike parking and the thousands of André Rieu fans are also considerations.
Close to the border with both Belgium and Germany, Maastricht is packed with international students, great restaurants and a lot of concerns about housing.
The city of 125,000 takes what it describes as a “bilingual” approach to the upcoming elections, providing information about voting both in Dutch and English.
Maastricht is just a short distance from both the Belgian and German borders and all four languages can be heard readily around town. The nearby town of Brunssum is home to Nato Joint Force Command Headquarters and a number of international organisations call Maastricht home.
Maastricht University, founded only in 1976, has 23,000 students and 61% are international, the highest percentage of the country’s 14 universities.
The 39-seat city council has 16 parties and the current council executive is comprised of the local seniors party, which is the largest, Seniorenpartij Maastricht with progressive democratic D66, the Christian Democrats CDA, Labour PvdA, local party PVM, centre-right VVD and pro-European party Volt.
Housing
As with the other nine cities, housing tops the list of issues for Maastricht locals ahead of elections. “The lack of the rooms,” says Liliane Chollet. “And what they cost,” adds Sophie Grellen when asked what they are most concerned about. The two students are enjoying a sunny afternoon in the Stadspark.
“The biggest issue is housing,” Zeina Haroun of the local party M:OED. Originally from Lebanon, Haroun just recently became a Dutch citizen and is now number five on M:OED’s list.
Whether the city should build more houses in outlying neighborhoods is contentious. D66, VVD and M:OED say yes, there is insufficient space in the city center while GroenLinks, PvdA, CDA and Seniorenpartij Maastricht are opposed.
There is also a separate debate about what to do about student housing. Some parties, like CDA, want student accommodations built on and around the campus, while others, like D66, feel this creates too much of a separation.
“We are a student city, we have to live together,” says Thomas Gardien of D66.
Another housing question is whether “status holders” or refugees who have been granted a residency permit, should be given priority in the city’s social housing system. CDA and the VVD are opposed while Seniorenpartij Maastricht, D66, PvdA and GroenLinks are in favour of maintaining the current system.
The summer concerts of André Rieu
The Dutch violinist and conductor hosts a summer series with his Johann Strauss Orchestra on the main square in Maastricht every summer, drawing thousands to the city. The series is a huge part of the economy for hotels and restaurants but some in the city wish they had fewer visitors.
“It is impossible to get around the city on the weekends,” says Maria Anderson, who has lived in Maastricht for over a decade. She wants the city to be open for tourists but with some limitations.
Seniorenpartij Maastricht, CDA, PvdA, and VVD are opposed to more large events like the Rieu concerts. They think, like Anderson, that the city is busy enough. The PvdA writes “Couldn’t we tone it down a bit?” when asked about large events in the city’s stemwijzer voting aid.
Some worry, however, about what will happen when the 76-year-old Rieu is no longer able to host the summer series.
Other concerns
A number of parties want to abolish the dog tax in the city, though some see it as needed financing for dog clean up. Another proposal is to lower the fee for collecting your bike from the bike depot. Currently set at €50, a number of parties think the price is too high, especially for students.
Maastricht key information:
Current council executive: Seniorenpartij Maastricht, D66, CDA, PvdA, PVM, VVD and Volt
How many seats on the council: 39
Total number of voters: 85,000
Number of international voters: 18,000
Local election information in English:
Maastricht also has a Stemwijzer voting aid in English.
Additional research by Eden Tweedie
