Rotterdam mayor Ahmed Abouteleb is more popular among supporters of the anti-Islam PVV than current prime minister Mark Rutte, according to a new Maurice de Hond opinion poll.
The poll gave Aboutaleb, a Labour party member, a seven point lead over the VVD‘s Rutte among PVV voters when asked which of the two men they preferred as prime minister. Aboutaleb is also more popular among PVV voters than D66 leader Alexander Pechtold and Christian Democrat chief Sybrand Buma.
Even 7% of the VVD back Aboutaleb over the prime minister and their own party leader. Aboutaleb, a Muslim, is known for his outspoken stance on radical Islam. In November he broke with the Labour party line and said Dutch nationals who have decided they want to travel to Syria to join Islamic militias should be allowed to go but should be banned from coming back to the Netherlands. [DutchNews] Read more
