The four parties currently trying to form a new government in the Netherlands may be planning to scrap advisory referendums from the statute books, the Telegraaf said on Thursday.

The paper says its sources say that the VVD, CDA and ChristenUnie are prepared to work towards the introduction of elected mayors, if D66 agrees to sacrifice the referendum issue.

There has only been one advisory referendum since the legislation was introduced several years ago – the vote on the EU’s treaty with Ukraine. D66 too was unhappy at how the referendum process worked out in practice, the paper says.

D66 has for years campaigned to have mayors elected in the Netherlands by popular vote. Mayors, who are also head of the local police force, are currently crown appointees.