PVV leader Geert Wilders named second deputy chair of Dutch parliament

Geert Wilders, leader of the PVV, has been appointed second deputy to the newly elected chair of the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of Dutch parliament, Thom van Campen. The announcement came from Van Campen on Thursday, prior to a parliamentary debate. Wieke Paulusma of D66 will step in first when Van Campen is absent, and if she is unavailable, Wilders will take the chair in the plenary session.

As a deputy chair, he also becomes part of the Presidium, the body that oversees the Tweede Kamer's administration. Wilders jokingly posted on X that "someone needs to ensure the Presidium stays in the background and deals primarily, ideally only, with things like coffee and toilet paper." The Presidium is responsible for the overall management of the Tweede Kamer’s business, including setting the agenda, determining the budget, and appointing staff.

Wilders will also have the same rights and obligations as other members of the Tweede Kamer, but typically, the chair and deputies do not participate in debates to maintain neutrality.

Earlier this week, Martin Bosma, a party colleague of Wilders, was defeated by Van Campen and relinquished his role as chair of the Tweede Kamer. The VVD politician, who at 35 is the youngest ever to be parliament chair, won after three voting rounds.

Alongside Wilders and Paulusma, Marjolein Moorman (GroenLinks-PvdA), Harmen Krul (CDA), Joost Eerdmans (JA21), and Ingrid Michon-Derkzen (VVD) have become members of the Tweede Kamer daily executive board.

This appointment comes during a period of significant political maneuvering following the recent elections, with the various parties negotiating the formation of a new Cabinet. It was reported that Geoffrey van Leeuwen, chief of staff to the NATO Secretary-General, took part in discussions with D66, CDA, and informateur Sybrand Buma on Thursday afternoon. The former Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation addressed "the need for defense, the Netherlands’ role, and how NATO can respond to the situation in Ukraine."

During the summer, NATO member states agreed to allocate 3.5 percent of their GDP to defense spending and 1.5 percent to related areas. Van Leeuwen spoke with the negotiating parties about how the Netherlands can fulfill these obligations.

“We lack capabilities across the board, on land, in the air, and at sea. And beyond that, we need innovation, including drones and new technologies,” the NATO representative said. He added that Europe should increase its production of defense equipment.