Rob Jetten first candidate for D66 leader after Kaag steps down

Rob Jetten (36) is the first candidate to lead the D66 in the upcoming elections, confirmed a spokesperson for the party after reporting by AD. The caretaker Minister (Climate and Energy) told the newspaper it is time for a new generation “who drags less that past with them and tries to solve things openly and uninhibitedly.” Party chairman Jan Paternotte does not want the position.

As party leader, Jetten does not want to change the substantive course of his party, he told AD. As far as he is concerned, D66 must be “recognizable” above all. “Really stand for the democratic rule of law, freedoms, and moral leadership,” he said.

The question of who will lead the D66 toward the election is open after Sigrid Kaag decided not to continue as party leader. She is under severe threat and intense security and no longer wants to do that to her family.

The party announced that it would soon hold a leadership election. Party chairman Jan Paternotte said on Thursday that he does not want the position. He cannot combine that with the care of two young children, he told the talk show, Renze. “If you really go for party leader, then you have to be able to be there even more, then you have to commit even more.

In 2018, the then 31-year-old Jetten was promoted to party chairman after quickly making a career in the party. He was then a parliamentarian for over a year, and before that, he was chairman of the Nijmegen municipal council. The politician had to prove himself as the successor to Alexander Pecthold, who had grown into the undisputed party leader in twelve years and made D66 important again in national politics after a difficult period.

Two years later, Jetten did not put himself forward to be party leader to make room for Sigrid Kaag, who had gained popularity within the party as Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation. His support was rewarded. During the formation, Jetten joined the negotiations as Kaag’s second. In the recently collapsed Rutte IV Cabinet, he became Minister for Climate and Energy.

Even in his time as a parliamentarian, Jetten profiled himself on the theme of climate change. It earned him the nickname “climate drama” after Klaas Dijkhoff of the VVD called him that. Jetten had t-shirts printed with that text.

“The climate crisis is one of the greatest threats to the entire planet,” Jetten told AD. He wants to make the economy greener, thus creating more employment and reducing energy bills.