Expaterience – Ep. #07: Municipal Elections The Hague 2026 / Gemeenteraadsverkiezingen Den Haag 2026

- Municipal elections: you can vote! Or can you? On Wednesday, March 18, The Hague will hold its municipal elections. Many international residents are eligible to vote in these local elections, yet many are either unaware of their eligibility or unclear about the voting process, how to communicate their specific concerns to the Municipal Council (also called 'City Council'), and whom to vote for. Expaterience, the unique English-language talk show produced by and for the international community in The Hague, made a Municipal Elections Special to change that. Hour 1: Navigating Your Vote – A Deep Dive for The Hague’s Internationals This two-hour special begins with an informative segment explaining voting rights and the mechanics of municipal elections. It features ongoing research from Leiden University on improving international civic engagement, alongside a balanced “outside-in” perspective from an international correspondent who has called The Hague home for nearly 15 years. Koen Kleiberg – Communications Officer, Elections Unit, Municipality of The Hague. Max Witteveen – MA, Honours Academy, Leiden University Gordon Darroch – International Correspondent in The Hague _____________________________________________________ Hour 2: The Big Debate – Four Parties Competing for 80,000 International Votes and 8 Seats The second hour of the Expaterience Municipal Elections Special features a unique debate, the only local TV debate in The Hague in English. Organized exclusively by Expaterience, this debate brings together candidates from the four major political parties currently represented in The Hague’s Municipal Council: Coen Bom (Hart voor Den Haag) Andrew van Esch (D66) Maarten De Vuyst (GroenLinks-PvdA) Benjamin Broekhuizen (VVD) The candidates address key themes and local issues across The Hague’s international neighborhoods, directly responding to questions from the live studio audience and to findings from an online survey conducted by Expaterience in the weeks leading up to the debate. _____________________________________________________ This exclusive Expaterience Municipal Elections Special and the featured TV debate are hosted and moderated by Sanjay Sharma while Resident Stand-up Humorist and Columnist Anupama Shrivastava kicks off this special episode with her fresh international take on Dutch local politics. Field Producers, Video Report: Douwe Volk and Robin Uineken Editors/Researchers: Dennis Kokkelink, Douwe Volk, Eylül Akdeniz, Robin Uineken, Sanjay Sharma — Social Media Team: Dennis Kokkelink, Douwe Volk, Elisabeth Mbeng, Michelle Sukowski, Parnita Pandey, and others — Live Streaming Facebook & YouTube: Marcel van Geenen — Camera Team: Ayman Sandok, Jolanda Hillebrand, Kai Wang, Margaret Ogunmefun — Sound Engineering: Flavio Valcarce, Marcel van Geenen — Opening Title Sequence Designer: Marcel van Geenen — Music Composer: Marcel van Geenen — Guest Reception: Elisabeth Mbeng, Marian Loth — Additional Support: Fritz van der Koelen, Kees Kouwenberg, Roderick Wijsmuller — Director: Erik Kaartman — Executive Producer & Production Manager: Dennis Kokkelink Original air date: Saturday, February 28, 2026 About Expaterience Expaterience is the Netherlands' unique TV talk show and online media project, produced and hosted by expats and internationals for Dutch society's diverse international audiences, exploring the successes and challenges of expat life within the broader context of social issues and global developments, while bringing together residents, curious minds, thought leaders, and multicultural professionals to discuss the most pressing issues of our time. For more information: https://t.ly/expaterience.nl/yt #expats #expatlife #expatliving #international #internationals #internationallife #internationalliving #thehague #thenetherlands #netherlands #dutch #society #politics #diversity #inclusion #community #access #tv #television #rtvdiscus #discus #broadcast #broadcasting #online #media #talkshow #volunteer #volunteers #volunteering #volunteeringabroad #connection #connections #integration #local #politics #localpolitics #municipalpolitics #municipalelections #municipalelections2026 #gemeenteraadsverkiezing #gemeenteraadsverkiezingen #denhaag #2026 ㅤㅤ