Prime minister Jan Peter Balkenende should see out his term in office in the Netherlands rather than take up a new job as ‘president’ of the EU, according to a poll of 23,000 EénVandaag viewers.

Two-thirds of respondents to the tv show poll said they did not believe Balkenende when he denied being a candidate for the job of chairman of the European council.
And, should he actually get the job, two-thirds of those polled said there should be new elections in the Netherlands.
The next general election is scheduled for May 2011.
Rubbish
Last month, Balkenende dismissed reports that he is poised to take up the high-powered job as ‘rubbish’ but did not categorically rule out a move to Brussels.
The Lisbon treaty on EU reform includes the establishment of a permanent president – unlike the current rotating presidency. Balkenende’s name is one of several, including former British prime minister Tony Blair being mentioned.
The Financieele Dagblad reports on Thursday that the leader of the Christian Democrats in the European parliament has backed Balkenende for the job. Joseph Daul told reporters in Brussels Balkenende is ‘a very good candidate’, the paper said.
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