MP Hans Smolders will leave politics due to health issues

Hans Smolders, MP for the Van Haga group, will leave the Tweede Kamer after the November 22 elections. The former confidant of Pim Fortuyn is struggling with serious health problems, he announced in a written statement.

Smolders has been suffering from lung cancer for years. "I have had four major lung surgeries and still can't breathe. Therefore, serving in the chamber (Tweede Kamer) is no longer an option." However, he sits on the selection committee of the party that will run in the elections as Belang van Nederland (BVNL). He also wants to appear on the party's list of candidates as a list striker.

As Fortuyn's driver, Smolders witnessed the politician's murder on May 6, 2002, and four years later he founded Lijst Smolders Tilburg.

Smolders is the sixteenth deputy not to return to the Tweede Kamer after the fall of the Cabinet.

Wybren van Haga officially registered as the list leader for BVNL on Friday. On September 2, the party's list of candidates will be confirmed by the General Assembly.