Eelco Keij represents Dutch people living abroad in the 2017 Dutch parliamentary elections.
Welcome to the campaign for "international Dutch citizens"! My name is Eelco Keij (39), candidate for the upcoming Dutch parliamentary elections as #39 for D66. Throughout the past 20 years I have lived for many years in different countries, of which 10 years in New York. This is where I discovered how Dutch citizens are treated unfairly on various levels (see the main 10 issues below). In many cases, the current Dutch government has actively put into place policies that go directly against the interests of Dutch citizens abroad, such as prohibiting dual nationality for its citizens.
My goal is not only to fight those policies, but also to have them replaced with different policies, much like many other European countries that have already devised appropriate policies for their co-citizens abroad.
Currently, I live with my Dutch-American family in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, working as a fundraising for Radboud University. While most of this website is in Dutch, this special page will explain the essentials of this campaign in English and of course, when and how to vote from abroad! In case you have any question in English, simply drop me a line.
The Campaign
It is estimated there are more than a million Dutch citizens abroad. They come from all walks of life and are spread over basically all the countries in the world. Their economic and cultural added value to the Netherlands is of macroeconomic proportions, even when they do not live in the Netherlands and do not pay taxes in the Netherlands.
This campaign focuses on four different groups of "international Dutchies":
1. Dutch citizens / "mixed families" residing abroad
2. "Mixed families" residing in the Netherlands
3. Those indirectly affected, residing in the Netherlands e.g. grandparents, other relatives, friends
4. Dutch citizens in the Netherlands who work and think internationally on a daily basis
The Issues
As I have been advocating for the interests of the Dutch abroad and other international Dutch citizens for the past five years, I have been able to compile a (non-comprehensive) list of the most burning 10 issues:
1. Ongoing prohibition of dual nationality
2. Pension issues
3. Subsidy cuts for Dutch education for Dutch children abroad
4. Apply for "DigiD" (kind of electronic signature) from abroad
5. Voting from abroad
6. Citizens that involuntarily lost their Dutch citizenship
7. Financial barriers for Dutch students abroad
8. Downsizing/closure of Dutch embassies and consulates
9. Visa/work problems for partners of expats
10. Convince other political parties that the interests of Dutch citizens/families abroad align with their own interests
Preferential votes
If you agree that Dutch citizens abroad deserve their own representative in parliament, then I kindly ask for your preferential vote. Up till now, no other party in the Netherlands has displayed serious interest in their citizens abroad, and there is no other candidate standing up for them.
While I'm not high on the list of D66 (#39), I will still go straight into parliament if I receive 16.000 preferential votes; regardless how many seats D66 will win.
How to register and vote
1. Register to vote
To register you have to download the form this website.
- Fill it out and send it through email to the Office of Elections in The Hague: kbn.verkiezingen@denhaag.nl or mail it by regular mail, or drop it off in person at your nearest consulate or embassy.
- You will need to include a (scanned) copy of your current, valid Dutch passport. In case you do not have that, please let me know as there are some other ways, but they are more tricky.
Please note: registration closes at February 1st.
2. Receive the ballot
Receive the ballot by email, in your inbox. Expect that somewhere in February, possibly earlier, hopefully not later!
3. Submit the ballot
Print the ballot, fill it out and send the form to either one of the 17 designated embassies* worldwide, or to the Office of Elections in The Hague. In Africa, there are two designated embassies: Pretoria and Nairobi.
Please note: your ballot must be in by March 15 at 3pm Dutch time.
* 17 designated embassies:
1. Washington DC
2. Ottawa
3. Paramaribo
4. Brasilia
5. Wellington
6. Canberra
7. Pretoria
8. Nairobi
9. Abu Dhabi
10. Ankara
11. Tel Aviv
12. Singapore
13. Bangkok
14. Jakarta
15. Beijing
16. Tokyo
17. Kuala Lumpur
