New Dutch Parliament begins term with swearing-in ceremony

The members of parliament elected on October 29 were sworn in on Wednesday in the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of Dutch parliament, before the caretaker President Martin Bosma.

Three members of parliament opted to take the oath in Frisian, including Habtamu de Hoop from Wommels (GroenLinks-PvdA). In Frisian, the declaration is “dat ferklearje en ûnthjit ik,” which translates in Dutch to “dat verklaar en beloof ik,” which in English means “I declare and promise”.

The oath itself reads, “zo waarlijk helpe mij God almachtig.” During her swearing-in, BBB MP Mona Keijzer initially confused the two options but ultimately decided to take the oath.

Several outgoing ministers will be serving in dual roles in the coming period. This includes BBB ministers Keijzer (Housing) and Femke Wiersma (Agriculture), their VVD colleagues Eelco Heinen (Finance), Ruben Brekelmans (Defence), and Vincent Karremans (Economic Affairs), and VVD state secretaries Thierry Aartsen (Public Transport) and Jurgen Nobel (Integration). While holding both positions, they will generally refrain from participating in debates or other substantive parliamentary work.

The new parliamentarians include former Cabinet officials, such as former Asylum Minister Marjolein Faber and former State Secretary for Public Transport Chris Jansen, both now serving as MPs for the PVV. Former state secretaries Vicky Maeijer (PVV) and Ingrid Coenradie (JA21) are also making a return to Dutch politics in The Hague.

The newly elected Tweede Kamer includes 55 first-time MPs and 15 former members who are returning after a previous term. The other 80 MPs had already been serving in parliament prior to Wednesday.