US Ambassador to the Netherlands Pete Hoekstra (Pete Hoekstra) got into a loud scandal-the diplomat was accused of interfering in the internal Affairs of his country of residence. According to the publication politico.eu, on September 10, the American Embassy in the Hague hosted a reception for the nationalist and eurosceptic Forum for democracy party. According to some reports, the event was held for the purpose of political promotion of eurosceptics and raising funds for their election campaign in the run-up to the national parliamentary elections in March 2021.
The Embassy reception did not escape the attention of other Dutch political forces, including the party of the current Prime Minister Mark Rutte. Many viewed the activity of the US Embassy as a direct “interference in our elections” and criticized this approach to performing diplomatic functions. Lawmakers from the local social liberal party D66 said that Piet Hoekstra probably violated the Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations, which prohibits foreign diplomatic missions from participating in the domestic political life of host countries.
Forum for democracy is a far-right conservative party founded by 37-year-old member of the Dutch Parliament Thierry Bode in late 2016. This political force sharply criticizes the EU and supports a referendum on the Netherlands ‘ exit from the European Union. Although the Forum currently has only two deputies in the national Parliament, Dutch eurosceptics have shown a rapid increase in popularity in recent municipal and provincial elections.