The Vlissingen branch of the fundamentalist Protestant party SGP is nominating Lilian Janse as a potential parliamentary candidate, defying the party’s stance on women in politics. Janse, a Vlissingen council member since 2014, recently failed to change the SGP’s official position on women in political roles.

The local branch believes Janse would be a valuable asset to the SGP at the national level. They argue that legally, the party cannot reject her candidacy solely because she is a woman.

Last month, a vote among party members resulted in a 299-53 decision against amending the party’s statutes to support female MPs, a motion proposed by Janse and her local Vlissingen branch. The existing statutes state that participation in political bodies conflicts with “women’s calling.”

The right-wing SGP advocates for governing the country “entirely on the basis of the ordinances of God as revealed in the Holy Scriptures,” which informs their view that women should not actively participate in political life.

The party has faced a prolonged legal battle regarding the role of women. In 2013, following rulings by the Dutch Supreme Court and the European Court of Human Rights, the SGP removed its ban on including women on candidate lists. However, the party’s founding principles remained unchanged, a compromise that was viewed as a strategic political move at the time.

During last month’s debate, the party board stated that it “does not consider it wise to reopen debate” on this arrangement, as requested by Janse. Instead, officials said, “the board wants to direct its full energy toward fulfilling the party’s mission of promoting the blessings of Biblical values and norms in the public domain.”

Janse’s proposed motion aimed to replace the current wording with a formulation that would empower women to decide for themselves whether a political role is appropriate, “with due regard for the place given to her by God.”