Generational change at VVD before elections, top 10 increasingly younger

The rest of the top 10 candidates are made up of familiar faces and the occasional newcomer. For example, the current outgoing Minister of Economic Affairs, Vincent Karremans, is in fifth place. The other newcomer is Jurgen Nobel, the outgoing State Secretary for Social Affairs. He is in 10th place. The complete list will be published later today.

Third on the list is current deputy parliamentary group leader Bente Becker, outgoing Minister of Defense Ruben Brekelmans is in fourth place, and Member of Parliament Eric van der Burg is in sixth place. Places 7, 8, and 9 are filled by Wendy van Eijk-Nagel, Silvio Erkens, and Claire Martens.

This top 10 certainly suggests a generational shift is slowly taking place within the VVD. While the top 10 includes all those with political experience, they are younger than the previous top 10, which included older candidates like Aukje de Vries, Christianne van der Wal, and Mariëlle Paul.

The current top 10 is dominated by people born in the 1980s. Leading candidate Yeşilgöz is right up there, having been born in 1977. Only Van den Burg is significantly older, at 59.

With these candidates, the liberals at least put knowledge in the field of security, finance, economics, immigration and integration in the top 10.