Lodewijk Asscher
Statement
Lodewijk Asscher (1974) has been the leader of the Labour Party since December 9, 2016. He had previously served as Deputy Prime Minister since 2012; as an Alderman of the City of Amsterdam between 2006 and 2012; and in academia before that.
On the all-important topic of migration, Mr Asscher recently commented, "The Netherlands has always given a warm reception to those seeking refuge. But it's also important to keep a cool head to process all these requests for asylum correctly, and make sure that the people who stay here integrate, learn Dutch and find work."
Asscher calls for:
- Raising the budget for development assistance to 0.7 percent
- Legalisation of cannabis cultivation.
- Expanding care for refugees in their own region
- Continued focus on fight against ISIS and related organizations
- More money for defence to protect borders, missions and contributions to NATO
- A tougher crack-down on racism; police and prosecution services should receive extra pay for this.
