In 2024, the Netherlands recorded 57 political integrity scandals. The CDA (Christian Democratic Appeal) topped the list with eight cases, followed by FvD (Forum for Democracy) and PVV (Party for Freedom), each with four. The VVD (People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy), which usually leads the list, had only two scandals.
These findings come from the 2024 Political Integrity Index. Since 2013, the index has been published annually, cataloging the types of integrity scandals involving Dutch politicians.
Key findings
For the first time, a Dutch politician was embroiled in a scandal over plagiarism. State Secretary Vicky Maeijer (PVV, Long-Term and Social Care) was found to have partially copied her thesis.
No party in recent years has been hit as hard at its core by scandals as the PVV. Party leader Geert Wilders previously had to part ways with his informants Gom van Strien and Ronald Plasterk, the latter of whom was a serious contender for prime minister. Last year, Gidi Markuszower had to withdraw as the candidate for Minister of Migration and Asylum because he failed a security screening by the Dutch intelligence service (AIVD).
The CDA had the most scandals last year—eight in total. These occurred at the local level and were relatively minor. The most notable was Pieter van Maaren, who resigned as mayor of Zaltbommel after illegally replacing the windows of his listed (protected) historic home.
Misconduct in private life
As in most years, “misconduct in private life” was the largest category, accounting for sixteen cases. This was followed by conflicts of interest (15 cases), inappropriate workplace behavior (8), and misuse or manipulation of information (6).
Due to the high frequency of misconduct in private life, all 154 such cases from the past ten years were analyzed this year. The largest subcategory was fraud (25 cases), followed by aggression (22), social media controversies (21), sexual misconduct (18), and violations of building and housing regulations (17).
Political Integrity Index
The PII is a collaboration between public administration scholars Leo Huberts and Leonie Heres of Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, business ethics and integrity management professor Muel Kaptein (Erasmus University Rotterdam), and investigative journalist Bart de Koning. This is the twelfth edition of the Political Integrity Index. Since 2023, Follow the Money has published the index. Since 2013, a total of 655 integrity scandals have been recorded, averaging around 55 per year. In 2022 there were 78, and in 2023, 65. Last year’s 57 cases marked a return toward the long-term average.