Elections 2025

From May 9th to 16th, UvA students head to the polls to elect their central and faculty council representatives for the next academic year.

For the fourth year in a row, the Activistenpartij hopes to be participating in the councils, where we will continue to raise a strong and radical voice for change. We know that real systemic change cannot be brought about within the institutional system alone, which is why we’re also active year-round outside of the councils, in the hallways and on the street. Among many other things, we’re fighting for an affordable and sustainable canteen, an end to our university’s complicity in genocide and an accessible and inclusive campus.

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Your Vote Matters.

The student councils are part of the medezeggenschap, or co-determination system: students elect representatives for a year, who will have a say in what happens at the university.

The council has some important rights given by Dutch law. Some decisions being made require the council’s consent (i.e. on some exam regulations and the termination/start of programs). Other times the council can give advice and input, for example on policy (diversity and inclusion, accessibility, etc.) Besides that, the councils also have the right to request information, or, in the worst case, file a dispute against their dean.

The council has regular formal meetings with the dean or board, as well as informal meetings with many other parts of the management layer. This way the councils can raise student issues and put their topics on the management’s agenda.

So vote wisely, to ensure your values and concerns will be brought to the university management!

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We aim to translate students’ needs and issues on campus to the councils through our network with student organisations at the UvA like ROSA, as well as other progressive leftist parties all over the country. Our struggle is connected in many ways to those of staff, as well as the broader Amsterdam community, which is why our fight doesn’t end at the student councils.

An accessible and affordable campus

The university should be a safe haven in a city of increasing prices and capitalist interests, instead of an extension of it. An affordable and sustainable canteen is one very important aspect of that. The Anti-Kantine movement laid the groundwork for the deprivatisation of the canteen, which has brought forth the student-run “Nieuwe Mensa” on Roeterseiland. But it doesn’t stop there: Affordable food options should be available at all campuses. Read more about this in the bio of Francesco, our listleader and co-founder of the Nieuwe Mensa.

All campuses should be physically accessible, making sure not to shut out differently-abled people. The university should actively work towards a more inclusive environment, where students, especially those of marginalized groups, feel safe and welcome. In the past years we’ve worked on getting gender-neutral toilets, as well as accessible menstruation products, and we will continue doing this.

A place for learning, not a diploma factory

A university should be a place for learning where students grow, not a machine that pushes them to their limits for the sake of fast diplomas. In the current political climate, students are increasingly burdened with mental health issues, financial struggles, and an escalating housing crisis. Access to education is still largely determined by the socio-economic background of one’s parents. Instead of reinforcing these inequalities, the university must create real opportunities for students to succeed on their own terms. Working students must be supported, not punished for balancing jobs and study, especially given the brutal housing market in Amsterdam.

We demand an end to punitive education models like the Binding Study Advice (BSA) and mandatory attendance policies that ignore students’ realities. We call for a shift toward holistic education that respects student wellbeing by offering more flexible pathways, provides fair grading systems, and accommodates working students. Education should empower students to thrive, not penalize them for the challenges they face.

Cutting ties

Democratization efforts, which students and activists have fought for hard in the past, are at risk of being reversed. Management is consolidating power and shutting students and staff out of decision-making. That is why the Activistenpartij is fighting harder than ever to protect international and diverse programs, to guarantee real support for students, and to push forward the democratization of the university. We demand the election of deans and the Executive Board (CvB) by students and staff themselves. A real voice, not symbolic consultation, is the only way to defend our education from austerity and rebuild the university as a place for knowledge, solidarity, and emancipation.

The university’s commitment to justice and human dignity should extend beyond its stance on international issues to the way it shapes its educational framework. We thereby seek to include diverse perspectives in our education by encouraging program directors to incorporate decolonial scholars into the curriculum. This would enrich academic discourse: it will provide students with a more inclusive understanding of global issues, and allow them to challenge entrenched power structures. A truly equitable education must embrace voices that have historically been marginalized, include critical thinking and empathy that goes beyond dominant narratives.

the right to protest

The University of Amsterdam is actively undermining the right to protest. There are no clear guidelines for student protests, and the university refuses to engage meaningfully with organisers. Instead, the CvB uses police intimidation to frame peaceful activism as intimidation and violence.

The new national protest guidelines use vague terms like “intimidation” and “disturbance” to criminalise protest and justify police intervention. What is considered threatening is left entirely up to university management. Public and private space on campus is defined depending on what suits their interests.

Students and staff are trapped in a system where peaceful disruption is rebranded as a threat. The new UvA house rules aim to prohibit overnight stays and occupations, removing protest traditions from university spaces. Protest is treated as a danger, rather than a democratic right. The Activistenpartij demands clear procedural rules for protests, an end to police presence on campus, recognition of occupations as legitimate protest, and transparency about which university spaces are public. Protest must be protected, not punished.

Budget Cuts

The university is facing harsh budget cuts that threaten the quality and accessibility of education for everyone. The quality of education is sidelined and the first things we will lose affect students the hardest. Support for students will decline: fewer contact persons, less accessible mental health facilities, and reduced space for student-led projects and initiatives. Maintaining diversity in our curriculum will also become even harder, as decolonial and progressive courses are increasingly seen as “unnecessary costs.” The recent decision to restrict Psychology to Dutch-taught tracks shows how international education is being actively dismantled. The move to defund English-language programs is not just economic — it reflects a xenophobic agenda that sees international students as disposable.

Instead of following the government’s agenda to shut out international students, the university, which brands itself with its internationality, should aim to foster and protect this community. We advocate for free Dutch lessons for all international students that want it, as well as more support and housing.