The four party leaders of PVV, VVD, NSC and BBB will join the first talks from today to arrive at a new cabinet. In the near future, they will bring party members with them to help them negotiate. They are necessary for the party leaders because of their knowledge, their good negotiating skills or because they ensure a good atmosphere among themselves. These are the seconds we will see (but hear little from) in the near future.
Fleur Agema
PVV leader Geert Wilders takes Fleur Agema with him. 37-year-old Agema is one of the PVV MPs from the very beginning and has been in the House of Representatives since 2006. Agema was in second place on the PVV’s electoral list in all elections. She is considered Wilders’ right hand within the PVV. She is also a spokesperson for the party in the field of healthcare. She is praised by friends and foes for her substantive knowledge in that field. Agema suffers from the nerve disorder MS and is in a relationship with PVV MP Leon de Jong.
Sophie Hermans
VVD leader Dilan Yesilgöz alternates between two party members: Sophie Hermans and Eelco Heijnen. Sophie Hermans started her career in The Hague in 2012 as a political advisor to then VVD Minister for Housing Stef Blok. She later became the advisor to Prime Minister Rutte. The 42-year-old Hermans has been in the House of Representatives since 2017 and has been party chairman since 2021. That year she also negotiated with Mark Rutte for the formation of the Rutte IV cabinet. Hermans is single.
Eelco Heinen
VVD MP Eelco Heinen is a relatively unknown participant in the negotiations. The 42-year-old Heinen has been the financial man of the VVD faction since 2021. The economist previously worked at the Ministry of Finance and was a policy advisor at the VVD faction. In the event of financial setbacks, he is a strong supporter of cuts instead of tax increases. Heinen is married and has two children. He was forced to give birth to his second child himself when his wife gave birth on the side of the road in February 2021.
Eddy van Hijum
Pieter Omtzigt from NSC takes Eddy van Hijum to the negotiations. 51-year-old Van Hijum is no stranger to The Hague. He served in the House of Representatives for the CDA from 2003 to 2014. He then switches to the Provincial Executive in Overijssel for the CDA. Last year he announced that he would not return for a third term. And this year he announced that he would join Pieter Omtzigt’s NSC. Van Hijum is an important pillar of Omtzigt. He wrote the election manifesto for the party and was in 6th place on the party’s electoral list. Van Hijum is married and has three daughters.
Mona Keijzer
BBB leader Caroline van der Plas, like the VVD, alternates between two party members: Henk Vermeer and Mona Keijzer.
Just like Van Hijum, 55-year-old Mona Keijzer is no stranger to The Hague. She was also active for the CDA. And how. She was State Secretary for Economic Affairs and Climate in the Rutte III cabinet from 2017 to 2021. Before that, she sat for that party in the House of Representatives from 2012. Her state secretariat came to a sudden end in 2021 when she opposed the corona admission ticket. Because this was contrary to cabinet policy, Keijzer was asked to resign. In September she was presented as BBB’s prime ministerial candidate. Keijzer is married and has five sons.
Henk Vermeer
Henk Vermeer, together with Caroline van der Plas, founded the BoerBurgerBeweging. The 57-year-old Vermeer founded BBB in 2019 together with Van der Plas and his co-partner at communications agency Remarkable Wim Groot Koerkamp. The marketer has been active in local politics in the municipality of Harderwijk since 2017. He was number four on the BBB candidate list and is now the financial spokesperson for the group. He has a very important role within the party and is seen as the brains behind BBB. Vermeer is married and has two children and three stepchildren.
Everything about the cabinet formation
All videos and articles about the cabinet formation can be found here.
Source: RTL News
2023-12-19 19:58:44
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