Six Arrested in Gorinchem Voter-Fraud Probe

Prosecutors say the detentions target alleged forgery of proxy forms and organised recruitment of voters and the investigation could affect trust in local elections.

Overview

Police arrested six people aged 20 to 65 on Tuesday in Gorinchem on suspicion of falsifying proxy (volmacht) signatures and co‑participating in the ronselen, or recruitment, of voters.
The probe follows reports after the March municipal vote and a formal complaint from Mayor Reinie Melissant‑Briene that led to a re‑run of voting on April 29.
Investigators say the case centers on volmachten, the proxy forms that let one person vote on behalf of another, and that signatures on some of those forms are suspected to have been forged.
The suspects will be presented to an examining magistrate (rechter‑commissaris) this week if prosecutors seek to keep them detained and authorities say the inquiry remains open with further arrests possible.
Local council leaders have held back judgment, saying they await the OM’s findings, and the case has raised wider concerns about confidence in Gorinchem’s electoral process and the city’s political formation.