AMSTERDAM, 12 January. - (ANA) - MERA25 Netherlands has announced that it will contest the municipal elections in March 2026, marking the first electoral participation of the Dutch electoral wing of the pan-European movement DiEM25. The party will begin its electoral engagement in the city of Leeuwarden.

 

MERA25 Netherlands was officially registered as a political party in July 2025, following a decision earlier this year by DiEM25 members in the Netherlands to establish an electoral vehicle capable of translating the movement’s values into institutional politics.

 

The candidacy of Ilse Terheggen and Rienk Jelte Aalbers, together with their municipal manifesto for Leeuwarden, has been approved through an All Member Vote by DiEM25 members across Europe, in line with the movement’s democratic and pan-European principles.

 

Ilse Terheggen and Rienk Jelte Aalberts are standing on a programme shaped by conversations with residents across Leeuwarden and its surrounding villages. Their priorities reflect issues consistently raised as urgent and unresolved:

 

- Democracy starts with listening: Ilse and Rienk want residents to have real influence over municipal decisions. They advocate for citizen assemblies, accessible dialogue, and participatory democratic structures that move beyond symbolic consultation and give people meaningful power.

 

- Basic needs for a dignified life: Ilse and Rienk insist that housing is a human right. With long waiting lists for social housing and persistent poverty affecting around 15% of residents, they call on the municipality to prioritise affordable housing, income security, and social protection.

 

- Culture and social connections: Ilse and Rienk want Leeuwarden to invest in the social and cultural infrastructure that holds communities together, including non-commercial cultural spaces, youth meeting places, and stronger support for resident-led initiatives that combat isolation and social inequality.

 

MERA25 Netherlands presents itself as a grassroots, bottom-up alternative to conventional municipal politics, focused on democratic renewal, social justice, and human dignity.   - (ANA) - 

 

AB/ANA/12 January 2026 - - -