Socialist Party leader Agnes Kant has announced she is leaving politics. She is resigning as leader of the party and will not be standing in the national elections on 9 June.

The Socialist Party suffered substantial losses during the local council elections on Wednesday. Opinion polls are predicting that the SP, currently the largest opposition party, stands to lose 14 of its 25 seats in the parliamentary elections in June.

Ms Kant says she accepts full responsibility for the SP's losses in the local elections and is worried that the poor performance and pessimistic predictions will be associated with her personally. For that reason she does not think she should lead the party in the forthcoming national election campaign.

Agnes Kant became an MP in 1998 and succeeded the charismatic Jan Marijnissen as party leader in 2008.

Ms Kant's successor will be decided at a party congress in April. Mr Marijnissen, who stepped down because of health issues, has already rejected suggestions that he might accept a second stint as party leader.
 

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