79/150 (52.6%)
44-674: Political career Prime Minister of the Netherlands First Ministry and term Second Ministry and term Third Ministry and term Fourth Ministry and term Affiliations [REDACTED] The second Rutte cabinet , also called the Rutte–Asscher cabinet , was the executive branch of the Government of the Netherlands from 5 November 2012 until 26 October 2017. The cabinet
88-506: A Bachelor of Laws degree in June 1965 before graduating with a Master of Laws degree in July 1969. Opstelten worked as a civil servant for the municipality of Vlaardingen from January 1970 until Augustus 1972. In Augustus 1972 Opstelten was nominated as Mayor of Dalen , taking office on 26 August 1972. In September 1977 Opstelten was nominated as Mayor of Doorn , he resigned as Mayor of Dalen
132-481: A portion of that business underground. In the week after his resignation from office, he was interviewed about the increased use of heavy firearms by criminals. He said that maybe in the past firearms didn't have the attention of the authorities, but now they rose to the challenge and he was on it. In reality he had quietly disbanded the task force on heavy weapons two months earlier. On 10 March 2015 Opstelten, along with State Secretary Fred Teeven resigned after it
176-484: Is also Minister of General Affairs ( Minister van Algemene Zaken ), which takes an important role in coordinating policy and is responsible for the Government Information Service (Dutch: Rijksvoorlichtingsdienst ). The prime minister is also responsible for the royal house and has a weekly meeting with the king on government policy. Informally the prime minister functions as the "face" of
220-627: The Binnenhof in The Hague . The official residence (which is only used for official functions) is the Catshuis ; the last prime minister to live in the Catshuis was Dries van Agt . During his tenure, Mark Rutte lived in a flat in downtown The Hague. The prime minister has a security detail and which, in 2021, was increased amid fears of kidnapping. Although prime ministers are almost always
264-542: The Council of Ministers (article 45) and is appointed by royal decree (article 43). The royal decree of their own appointment and those of the other ministers are to be countersigned by the prime minister (article 48). The Council of Ministers is no longer attended by the king. The prime minister chairs the weekly meetings of the Council of Ministers and has the power to set the agenda of these meetings. The prime minister
308-561: The European Council . In November 2006, the rules of procedure of the council of ministers was changed to allow the prime minister to put any item on the agenda of the council and no longer have to wait for a minister to take the initiative. A change of the rules of procedure of the cabinet in July 2008 allowed the prime minister to manage costs of the Royal House across departments, to make one department in control of cost of
352-488: The Kingdom of the Netherlands , and therefore also deals with matters affecting the other countries Aruba , Curaçao , and Sint Maarten in the kingdom. The independent cabinets of Aruba, Curaçao, and Sint Maarten also have their own prime ministers: Evelyn Wever-Croes ( Prime Minister of Aruba ), Gilmar Pisas ( Prime Minister of Curaçao ), and Luc Mercelina ( Prime Minister of Sint Maarten ). The Council of Ministers of
396-462: The Netherlands , Utrecht. In 1999 he was nominated as Mayor of Rotterdam, the second biggest city of the Netherlands. In 2002 he was praised for his handling of the aftermath of the assassination of politician Pim Fortuyn . He served as Mayor of Rotterdam for ten years. He resigned on 1 January 2009. He was succeeded by Ahmed Aboutaleb . On 31 March 2008 he was elected as the new Party chair of
440-596: The Party for Freedom to obtain a majority. Formateur Mark Rutte asked Opstelten as the Minister of Security and Justice in the new cabinet . Because a Party chair can not serve in the cabinet , he resigned as a Party chair of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy on 14 October 2010, the day he took office as the new Minister of Security and Justice. During his tenure as Minister of Security and Justice, Opstelten
484-545: The election of 2010 Opstelten was appointed as Informateur for the cabinet formation of 2010 . Following the cabinet formation Opstelten was appointed as Minister of Security and Justice in the Cabinet Rutte I , taking office on 14 October 2010. The Cabinet Rutte I fell on 23 April 2012 after the Party for Freedom (PVV) withdrew their confidence and supply and continued to serve in a demissionary capacity. In May 2012 Opstelten announced that he wouldn't stand for
SECTION 10
#1732787039114528-594: The election of 2012 . Following the cabinet formation of 2012 Opstelten continued as Minister of Security and Justice in the Cabinet Rutte II , taking office on 5 November 2012. On 10 March 2015 Opstelten and State Secretary for Security and Justice Fred Teeven resigned after he had misinformed the House of Representatives about the Teevendeal [ nl ] that was mishandled by Teeven during
572-444: The monarch is the de jure head of government , the prime minister de facto occupies this role as the officeholder chairs the Council of Ministers and coordinates its policy with the rest of the cabinet . In his role as the de facto head of government, the prime minister also represents the Netherlands in the European Council . Fourty-three men has served in the position. The current prime minister, Dick Schoof , has been in
616-643: The Kingdom of the Netherlands includes ministers plenipotentiary from the other countries of the kingdom. These are not included in the government of the kingdom. Ivo Opstelten Ivo Willem Opstelten (born 31 January 1944) is a retired Dutch politician and jurist. He is a member of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD). Opstelten applied at Leiden University in May 1963 majoring in Law and obtaining
660-409: The Netherlands . If there are more parties in the coalition, generally they also each appoint one of their ministers to deputy prime ministers. The king appoints deputy prime ministers . Conventionally, all of the junior partners in the coalition get one deputy prime minister ; they are ranked according to the size of their respective parties. The senior deputy present chairs the cabinet meeting when
704-539: The People's Party for Freedom and Democracy. On 6 November 2009 it was announced by Wim van de Donk , the Queen's Commissioner of North Brabant , that Opstelten had accepted the position as Acting Mayor of Tilburg after Mayor Ruud Vreeman 's resignation was sought by the City council of Tilburg. On 4 August 2010 Queen Beatrix nominated Opstelten as fifth informateur in the 2010 Dutch cabinet formation . On September 4,
748-515: The Queen replaced Opstelten with Herman Tjeenk Willink , the Vice President of the Council of State as the new informateur. On 13 September 2010 he became informateur a second time and on September 28 the negotiations were finished. A coalition agreement was reached between People's Party for Freedom and Democracy and Christian Democratic Appeal to form a minority coalition, supported by
792-551: The Royal House which are covered by several ministries. Although the prime minister is the leading Dutch political figure and holder of the de facto highest office, they are not as powerful as, for example, the British prime minister or the German chancellor . This is mainly because, historically, all Dutch ministers used to be responsible to the monarch (also true of prime ministers in other countries); ministers took turns to fill
836-633: The Secretary-General for the United Nations in Mali and former Minister for Development Cooperation Bert Koenders (PvdA). On 10 March 2015 Minister of Security and Justice Ivo Opstelten (VVD) and State Secretary for Security and Justice Fred Teeven (VVD) resigned after it was discovered that Fred Teeven when he served as a Prosecutor authorized the return of 4.7 million guilders to convicted drugs dealer Cees H. in 2000 without
880-438: The cabinet to the public. After the meetings of the cabinet on Friday, the prime minister hosts a press conference on the decisions of the cabinet and current affairs. The prime minister also has some functions in international affairs, attending the European Council every six months and maintaining bilateral contacts. The prime minister's office has since the 1980s been an octagonal tower, named "The Little Tower" ( Torentje ), in
924-422: The king, who acted as the leader of cabinet. Until 1901, the position chair of the Council of Ministers officially rotated between ministers. Between 1901 and 1945, the position formally still rotated, but prominent politicians could claim a rotation period of four years. In 1937, a separate Ministry of General Affairs was instituted, which was informally linked to the prime minister. Barend Biesheuvel (1971–1974)
SECTION 20
#1732787039114968-618: The knowledge of his superior or the tax office. On 4 October 2017 Minister of Defence Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert (VVD) resigned following a critical report by the Dutch Safety Board into the investigation of the accidental deaths of two Army soldiers who died following the use of old ammunition during a Mortar test during the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali . She
1012-504: The members of the prospective coalition. The formateur is almost always the leader of the largest party in the prospective coalition, and thus de facto prime minister-designate. Prior to 2012, the monarch had a considerable role in this process in particular during the initial phases and the appointment of informateurs and formateurs. Reforms in 2012 pulled these tasks to the House of Representatives, thus largely eliminated royal influence on
1056-565: The middle of the 2010s . Domestically, it had to deal with the Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 disaster, in which 193 Dutch citizens on board were killed when that civilian aircraft was shot down over Ukraine by a surface-to-air missile ; while internationally, climate change was a major point of attention. The cabinet suffered several major internal conflicts such as multiple cabinet resignations, including those of two Justice Ministers. The cabinet completed its entire term, and
1100-403: The most recent elections, the House appointed a "scout" to seek advice on how to interpret the election results (a role coordinated by the monarch prior to 2012). On the basis of this advice, the House appoints an informateur to check on prospective coalitions and lead negotiations between potential partners. If successful, the House then appoints a formateur , who concludes the talks between
1144-482: The municipality of Vlaardingen before starting a long-term career as mayor. In 1972 Opstelten began as Mayor of Dalen, at the age of 28 the youngest Mayor of the Netherlands. In 1977 he became Mayor of Doorn. In 1980 he became the Mayor of Delfzijl. In 1983 he became Acting Mayor of Beerta for four months because of the pregnancy of Mayor Hanneke Jagersma. In 1992 he made the switch to the fourth largest Municipality of
1188-544: The political leader of their party and as such chosen as a member of the House of Representatives, they (and other ministers who were chosen as representative) are required to give up their seat for the duration of their tenure, as Dutch ministers are not allowed to be members of parliament. The Dutch electoral system makes it all but impossible for one party to win an outright majority in the House of Representatives; no party has done so since 1900. Hence, Dutch governments are always coalitions between two or more parties. Following
1232-441: The position of prime minister, and in the role had little if any control over the other ministers. The prime minister's role gained importance when ministers became responsible to the parliament, and the position became mostly reserved for the leader of the biggest political party in the House of Representatives . Still, because the position holds limited powers compared to its equivalent in other neighboring parliamentary democracies,
1276-542: The position since 2 July 2024, with his cabinet being sworn in on the same day. Gradually the prime minister became an official function of government leader, taken by the political leader of the largest party. Since 1845, the role of the first minister is relevant. In that year the Constitution of the Netherlands was amended to make ministers responsible to the States General and no longer responsible to
1320-416: The prime minister is not present. In the current Schoof cabinet , Fleur Agema chairs those meetings as first deputy prime minister of the Netherlands , with the other deputies being Sophie Hermans , Eddy van Hijum , and Mona Keijzer . The oldest member of the cabinet chairs the meeting when the prime minister and all deputies are absent. The prime minister is also chairman of the Council of Ministers of
1364-532: The prime minister's role is described as primus inter pares ("first among equals"). Following the constitutional review of 1983, the position of prime minister was formalised in the Dutch Constitution for the first time. According to the Constitution of the Netherlands , the Government is constituted by the king and the ministers. The Constitution stipulates that the prime minister chairs
Second Rutte cabinet - Misplaced Pages Continue
1408-424: The process. It usually takes several months of negotiations before a formateur is ready to accept a formal royal invitation to form a government. The monarch then appoints the ministers and state secretaries (junior ministers), who then resign their seats in the House or other job if appointed without being a representative. The second largest coalition parties usually provides the senior Deputy Prime Minister of
1452-421: The same day he was installed as Mayor of Doorn, taking office on 1 October 1977. In November 1980 Opstelten was nominated as Mayor of Delfzijl , he resigned as Mayor of Doorn the same day he was installed as Mayor of Delfzijl, taking office on 1 December 1980. Opstelten served as acting Mayor of Beerta from 1 December 1983 until 1 March 1984 during a parental leave of Hanneke Jagersma . In August 1987 Opstelten
1496-429: The time he had served as a prosecutor. Opstelten retired after spending 42 years in national politics and became active in the public sector and occupied numerous seats as a corporate director and nonprofit director on several boards of directors and supervisory boards. Opstelten studied law at Leiden University , where he specialised in constitutional and public law. He graduated in 1969 and worked from 1970 to 1972 at
1540-491: Was actually 4.7 million guilders. Cees H. confirmed this and stated that he did not do the justice department any favor in return, such as testifying. During a press conference on 9 March, Opstelten admitted that convicted drugs baron Cees H. had been paid 4.7 million guilders, not the two million guilders he had consistently told parliament. The next day he resigned. Other politicians were disappointed that he left many questions unanswered by resigning, such as how he could not know
1584-543: Was appointment as Director-General of the department for Public Safety and Security of the Ministry of the Interior , he resigned as Mayor of Delfzijl of the same day he was installed as Director-General on 1 September 1987. In October 1992 Opstelten was nominated as Mayor of Utrecht , he resigned as Director-General the same day he was installed as Mayor of Utrecht, taking office on 1 November 1992. In January 1999 Opstelten
1628-447: Was discovered that Teeven, then chief public prosecutor authorized the return of 4.7 million guilders to convicted drugs dealer Cees H. in 2000, without the knowledge of his superior or the tax office. Throughout 2014, questions had been asked about this drugs deal. Opstelten consistently told parliament that the deal was for 2 million guilders and that they should trust him on that. On 4 March news show Nieuwsuur uncovered evidence that it
1672-516: Was formed by the conservative-liberal People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) and the social-democratic Labour Party (PvdA) after the election of 2012 . The cabinet was a centrist grand coalition and had a slim majority in the House of Representatives . VVD Leader Mark Rutte served as Prime Minister ; prominent PvdA politician Lodewijk Asscher , a former alderman of Amsterdam, served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Social Affairs and Employment . The cabinet served in
1716-433: Was nominated as Mayor of Rotterdam , he resigned as Mayor of Utrecht the same day he was installed as Mayor of Rotterdam, serving from 16 February 1999 until 1 January 2009. Opstelten served as Chairmen of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy from 23 May 2008 until 14 October 2010. Opstelten served as acting Mayor of Tilburg from 4 November 2009 until 16 July 2010 following the resignation of Ruud Vreeman . After
1760-483: Was replaced as Minister of Defence by State Secretary for Security and Justice Klaas Dijkhoff (VVD) who served out the remaining three weeks before the installation of the new cabinet . Prime Minister of the Netherlands The prime minister of the Netherlands ( Dutch : Minister-president van Nederland ) is the head of the executive branch of the Government of the Netherlands . Although
1804-413: Was replaced as State Secretary for Economic Affairs by former State Secretary for Education, Culture and Science Sharon Dijksma (PvdA) on 18 December 2012. On 17 October 2014 Minister of Foreign Affairs Frans Timmermans (PvdA) resigned after he was nominated as the next European Commissioner succeeding Neelie Kroes . He was replaced as Minister of Foreign Affairs by Special Representative of
Second Rutte cabinet - Misplaced Pages Continue
1848-514: Was succeeded by the third Rutte cabinet following the 2017 election . Having spent four years and 355 days in office, it is the longest-serving post-war cabinet in the Netherlands. On 6 December 2012, just 31 days after taking office, State Secretary for Economic Affairs Co Verdaas (PvdA) resigned after he was accused of making inappropriate declarations when he served as a Member of the Provincial-Executive of Gelderland . He
1892-503: Was the driving force behind the closure of the majority of The Netherlands' coffeeshops and growshops effectively ending the successful 1970's instituted experiment where soft drugs were tolerated and separated from the hard drugs market. Affiliated with the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) party, Opstelten also imposed many restrictions on the legal and regulated prostitution business in the Netherlands also driving
1936-408: Was the last prime minister who was not the political leader of the largest party in cabinet (his was actually the third largest), until the appointment of Dick Schoof (2024-present) who is an independent politician chosen to lead the right wing coalition. In 1983 the function of prime minister was laid down in the constitution. The position of the prime minister has been reinforced by the creation of
#113886