Marleen Barth, who leads the Labour party in the senate, has called on the media and her fellow politicians to change the way political campaigns are being fought.

In an interview with the Volkskrant on Tuesday, Barth says there needs to be an end to the ‘macho’ approach of 20-second television sound bites during television debates. ‘These subjects deserve more than 20 seconds,’ she said. ‘You lose the nuances in your story.’

This form of ‘megaphone democracy’ is turning voters off, Barth says, pointing out just 48% of those eligible to vote in the provincial elections did so. ‘More than 60% of those who voted were male. Women are turning their backs in droves. And I think that is to do with the macho feel.’