The left-wing green alliance GroenLinks-PvdA will elect a new parliamentary leader on Monday, following Frans Timmermans’s decision to step down after the party’s disappointing election result, and Jesse Klaver is tipped for the top job.

Timmermans had set his sights on GroenLinks-PvdA becoming the biggest party, securing the role of prime minister for himself. But he told supporters immediately after the vote that he would “take full responsibility” for the loss and resign.

The alliance saw its number of MPs shrink from 25 to 20.

All newly elected GroenLinks-PvdA MPs are eligible to run for the post of parliamentary leader, said MP Kati Piri, who chaired a meeting of new parliamentarians on Thursday.

“Whoever we choose on Monday will be the political leader of GroenLinks-PvdA – but not automatically the lead candidate at the next election.” No one had yet formally put themselves forward, Piri said.

Former GroenLinks leader Jesse Klaver, 39, is expected to do so. He served as Timmermans’s deputy and is widely trusted within the parliamentary party. First elected to parliament at the age of 24, he led coalition negotiations for his party in 2017, though GroenLinks ultimately stayed in opposition.

Klaver has a good working relationship with D66 leader Rob Jetten. However, he is also known to have ministerial ambitions, and some within the party question whether he would remain in parliament for long if the alliance joins the next coalition, the AD pointed out.

In addition, putting Klaver, who comes from the GroenLinks wing of the alliance, in charge of coalition negotiations could be a major obstacle to forming a new administration with the VVD, commentators say.

The right wing liberal party leader Dilan Yesilgöz has repeatedly said she favours a centre-right coalition and is opposed to working with GroenLinks-PvdA, although much of her criticism was directed at Timmermans himself.

Marjolein Moorman

Another potential contender is Amsterdam council executive Marjolein Moorman, 51, who is seen by many as a possible future party leader. Some regard her as a strong, unifying figure on the left, though she has little national experience.

Since the election she has told reporters that she is “only just making the move from Amsterdam to The Hague” and that there are “many capable people in the parliamentary group”.

Other MPs, including Lisa Westerveld, have said they may consider running, while Esmah Lahlah, Laura Bromet and Mohammed Mohandis have already ruled themselves out. Habtamu de Hoop, seen as a rising star within the party, has also declined to comment on his intentions.