The popularity of Marianne Thieme, leader and founder of the pro-animal Partij voor de Dieren, has taken a sharp knock, according to a poll of party supporters by television programme EenVandaag.

Last September Thieme had the confidence of 88% of party supporters but that has now plunged to 61%, the research showed. ‘This is a major drop,’ researcher Jeroen Kester said. ‘Confidence in most opposition party leaders is around 90%.’

PvdD supporters who have lost faith in Thieme are critical of the way she reacted about the resignation of Femke Merel van Kooten two weeks ago. Van Kooten was one of five PvdD MPs and has decided to hang on to her seat as an independent.

She quit the party, saying that she disagreed with the way issues involving human beings were dismssed as irrelevant, and criticising party culture.

‘Thieme seems to be more stubborn than sensible if there is a difference of opinion,’ one party supporter told EenVandaag. Others said she was invisible in parliament.

Thieme, who founded the party in 2002, had four months off earlier this year on health grounds but has declined to say more about what the problem was.