Marco Havermans, a 26-year-old member of the Brabant Provincial Council for the BoerBurgerBeweging (BBB), has withdrawn as the party’s lead candidate for the provincial elections in March. He said there was currently insufficient room within the party for the constructive and solution-oriented way he wanted to practise politics, including working with different parties and offering alternatives to rejected plans.

Havermans remains a provincial councillor until the elections and will continue as parliamentary group leader for now. He said he would speak during the budget debate and give space to people who want to continue after the elections. He has not yet decided whether he will remain a BBB member.