The news that Ab Klink, the deputy leader of the Christian Democrats (CDA), is resigning and will not stay on as an MP makes all today’s front pages. He made his shock announcement yesterday just before a meeting of CDA MPs took place.

Today’s de Volkskrant devotes three whole pages and an editorial to the political drama. It says Mr Klink spent the weekend before last wrestling with the issue of his party’s coalition negotiations with anti-Islam Freedom Party (PVV).

He ended up describing the coalition talks, in which he was taking part, as an “impassable road” and wrote a letter to the CDA leadership, setting out his objections. This was leaked last week, adding to the split within his party. It also, says the paper, indirectly led to PVV leader Geert Wilders breaking off the coalition talks with the conservative VVD and the CDA. He accused the latter of not being a reliable partner.

Mr Klink tells the paper that he hasn’t the persuasive skills to convince his party of his vision. He feels that all that has happened over the last week has created an unworkable situation in the CDA and has damaged the trust necessary for working together. He is at pains to point out that his qualms about governing with the support of the PVV were not influenced by other CDA members.

Put a woman in charge
In its coverage of Mr Klink’s resignation and the ongoing coalition saga, Protestant daily Trouw suggests it’s maybe time that a woman is appointed ‘informateur’, the mediator who oversees the initial part of the coalition-forming process. The speaker of the lower house, Gerdi Verbeet, said back in March that she’d like to see a woman have a go in the post.

Last weekend former minister Sybilla Dekker joined the fray, calling for a man and a woman to take on the job together. In response to the news of Mr Klink’s departure, she adds: “He must have been uncomfortable in the talks, otherwise you don’t write that sort of letter. I think a woman would have seen that earlier.”

The only female ‘informateur’ to date has been former minister Els Borst, who helped mediate the formation of the government in 1998. Despite the fact that she was working together with two men she wasn’t put off by the male-only atmosphere: “No, it was really jolly. Mind you, I’ve never in my whole life thought, ‘Oh, this is such a male-only club’.”

Trouw, however, suggests it may be time for a rethink, after five ‘informateurs’ and two failed attempts at forming a coalition. Ms Borst also thinks a woman might be able to make the difference. “Everyone knows that women have a different approach. Maybe it would be easier for a woman to bring people together. Women are less combative, in a macho sense, and that is precisely what’s needed now.”

Councillors face aggression
The gap between the electorate and national politicians is one of the reasons given to explain why the recent parliamentary election results have made it so difficult to form a coalition. However, reports in a couple of today’s papers indicate that many local politicians may actually be wishing the physical gap between them and their voters were larger.

Nrc.next reports that an interior ministry survey says about half of all the country’s mayors, aldermen and councillors have faced aggression in carrying out their work. Nearly a third of councillors taken as a whole have experienced some kind of abuse.

Trouw says it’s mostly a question of verbal abuse, although many officials have also faced threats and intimidation. There are not so many cases of discrimination, physical aggression or sexual intimidation and there are more incidences of aggression in the big cities.

Interestingly, less than 20 percent of the officials report the incidents to the police. Mayors are more likely to do so: this is put down to their having close ties to the local police. In two-thirds of cases, no measures are taken by the local authorities.

Hospital’s soccer sponsorship can go ahead
Ab Klink is remaining in his post as caretaker health minister and today’s AD reports that he doesn’t intend to ban a hospital in Dordrecht from sponsoring a local football team. The hospital recently announced the sponsorship deal, explaining that it was designed to boost its image among local people.

Socialist Party MPs have slammed the move, saying that, in this time of health service cuts, every cent should be devoted to patient care. However, Minister Klink says its up to the hospital to decide how it spends its money.

Birthday cake for the queen
The mass-circulation De Telegraaf devotes most of its front page to Mr Klink’s departure and the ensuing coalition chaos. It covers the visit made by various party leaders to Queen Beatrix yesterday to (once again) report on developments.

One of them was PVV leader Geert Wilders and yesterday was his 47th birthday. It is the Dutch custom to give people sweet treats on your birthday, and the paper runs a picture of him going into the palace carrying a traditional Dutch pie in a box.

A picture of a pleasantly surprised Queen Beatrix seems to indicate she was pleased with the birthday treat. However, the paper admits in the small print that the photo was taken “earlier this year”.