Overview
- A secret paper ballot at the council meeting on July 9 produced an unexpected result when Joan Nunnely received 23 votes and D66’s nominated candidate Eva Heijblom received 21.
- The paper ballots allow councillors to write in other names or themselves, a practice that made an upset possible and prevents knowing exactly who cast decisive votes.
- Heijblom left the chamber after the result and Nunnely said she was surprised and proud, but Nunnely cannot be installed until the commissie van geloofsbrieven completes its vetting.
- The new five-party coalition holds a one-seat majority of 23 of 45 seats, which has prompted immediate crisis talks and leaves the coalition to decide whether to accept the council’s de facto choice.
- The episode highlights reported unrest inside D66 over Heijblom’s nomination, concerns about the college’s lack of cultural diversity, and the political risk that a single crossover vote can now reshape Rotterdam’s executive team.