Leeuwarden: MERA25 campaign turns public square into a space for democracy

Lead candidate Ilse Terheggen invites residents to reclaim the city with food, music and politics ahead of the municipal elections

On Saturday, March 15, MERA25 will host its final major mobilisation ahead of the municipal elections in Leeuwarden. Instead of a traditional campaign rally, lead candidate Ilse Terheggen and her team will transform the city’s central square into a living example of community-led politics.

Residents are invited to join a public “occupation” of Wilhelminaplein featuring food, music, art and conversation – an event designed to demonstrate what participatory democracy can look like in practice.

Ilse’s campaign draws directly from her everyday life as a musician, activist and volunteer in elderly care. Her platform responds to growing frustration among residents who feel excluded from decisions shaping their city, particularly when commercial interests dominate local development.

“I believe that the heart of our city isn’t in the town hall, but in our neighbourhoods and our care for one another,” Ilse said. “Real democracy means neighbours having a direct say in what happens to their streets and their nature. It’s time we stop being ‘consulted’ and start making the decisions that affect our lives.”

A city for people, not speculation

The event will highlight MERA25’s campaign priorities for Leeuwarden, including its opposition to the sale of the city’s former tax office to private developers for conversion into another hotel. Instead, the party argues the building should become a community space serving residents directly.

Housing will also be at the centre of the discussion. With roughly 15% of the city’s population living in poverty and affordable housing increasingly scarce, MERA25 argues that housing must be treated as a fundamental right rather than a commodity.

Another key issue is the growing tension between urban development and the protection of local green spaces. The party is calling for an immediate halt to the destruction of nature for commercial building projects.

Democracy beyond the ballot box

For MERA25, the event is about more than campaigning – it is about demonstrating a different way of doing politics.

The party advocates a participatory model of local democracy in which residents are directly involved in shaping policy and deciding the priorities for their neighbourhoods and their city.

By bringing people together in a public square, the campaign hopes to show that politics does not have to be distant or technocratic, it can begin in the everyday spaces where communities meet.