The Christian Democratic party held its traditional autumn conference in Utrecht at the weekend, with the party’s poor performance at the general election high on the agenda.

The CDA took 21 seats in the June vote, almost half its previous total.
According the NRC there is ‘no difference of opinion’ about the fact the party made a lot of mistakes.
Two reports into the loss of support say the party has become too isolated from its members. Nor is it clear what the CDA stands for, which makes it vulnerable to political movements, one report said.
Alliance
While many CDA supporters are not happy about the CDA VVD government’s alliance with the anti-Islam PVV ‘they accept there is no better alternative’, the paper said.
The most vocal opponents of the alliance – former ministers Ernst Hirsch Ballin and Ab Klink – did not attend. Nor did former prime minister Jan Peter Balkenende.
The conference did agree that the party chairman may no longer be a member of the cabinet. Current acting chairman Henk Bleker is junior farm minister.
See also: CDA is a conservative party