Excerpt:
Rotterdam's popular mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb has been urged by 13 of his fellow Labour mayors to challenge Diederik Samsom for the leadership of the PvdA (Labour party) ahead of next year's general election.
'Your party needs you,' the mayors wrote in an open letter to the Volkskrant. 'But more than that, this country needs a leader who is in tune with the times ... and who can make sure the law is upheld.'
A number of other prominent Labour supporters, including chairman Hans Spekman, have urged Abouteleb to take part in a leadership contest but he has consistently refused.