Balkenende risks his position as leader

The Christian Democrat Appeal party (CDA) led by Prime Minister Jan-Peter Balkenende was among the big losers in the Dutch local elections on Wednesday, which are seen as a test run for the parliamentary elections on June 9. Balkenende has now tied his political fate to an election victory, prompting right-wing liberal news magazine Elsevier to say the party should start looking for a new leader: "Balkenende is putting his post as prime minister on the line in the elections. So for Balkenende it's all or nothing on June 9. ... This all looks very brave. But in fact it's strange that the CDA, supposedly such a solid party, is making itself so vulnerable over the battle for the political survival of its leading candidate. It looks a lot less secure and stable than the CDA would like to see itself. ... The CDA has not only lost another local election but has also become more insecure. This insecurity won't by lessened by the designated leading candidate playing a risky game."

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