Caroline van der Plas is stepping down as leader of the pro-countryside party BBB that she co-founded in 2019.

Henk Vermeer, party co-founder and Van der Plas’ right hand man, will take over as party chief. He has been an MP since 2023.

The BBB grew out of the farmers’ protests, propelling Van der Plas into the spotlights. The party won one seat in parliament in 2021 but emerged as the big winner in the 2023 provincial elections and the senate vote.

The BBB went on to win seven seats in the 2023 general election and became part of the coalition government, along with the far right PVV, the VVD and conservative NSC.

Since then, however, support for the BBB has plunged and is has just four seats in the current parliament.

Van der Plas will remain and MP and said that by stepping away from the leadership she will be able to represent the interests of the countryside more forcefully. “I have led the party for five years and it is time for the party to move into the next phase,” she said in a statement.