Samsom wins Labour leadership

Diederik Samsom was chosen on Friday afternoon as the new leader of the parliamentary Labour party, with 54% of the votes.


According to party chairman Hans Spekman who made the announcement, the number of votes cast was a record, with 68.6% of members taking part.
Ronald Plasterk was second with 31.6%, followed by Nebahat Albayrak (8.2%), Martijn van Dam (3.9%) and Lutz Jacobi (2.3%).
The 40-year-old Samsom is seen as a member of the left wing of the party and has the image of an activist and street fighter. He is also considered someone who can stand up to PVV leader Geert Wilders, which was a problem for former leader Job Cohen.
Cohen stepped down in February and Samsom was one of the first to declare he would stand for the position.
Labour has been doing badly in the polls since the last general election in 2010 when they won 31 seats. However, the leadership contest has boosted their support. The most recent Maurice de Hond polled showed them on 16, up two seats.
Portrait of a firebrand

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