Names of new Dutch Ministers, State Secretaries announced
The names of the Rutte III cabinet's Ministers and State Secretaries were announced on Saturday. In addition to Prime Minster Mark Rutte, there wil be 15 Ministers and eight State Secretaries. Just over a third of the new government are women. The expectation is that the Rutte III cabinet will take office on October 26th, RTL Nieuws reports.
On Sunday Prime Minister Rutte met with his three Deputy Prime Ministers - Hugo de Jonge (CDA), Kasja Ollongren (D66) and Carola Schouten (ChristenUnie). This week he will meet with each of the new Ministers and State Secretaries.
Ministry of Public Health, Welfare and Sports
Hugo de Jonge will be the Minister of Elderly Care under the Ministry of Public Health in addition to being Deputy Prime Minister. He is currently an alderman in Rotterdam and is seen as a remarkable choice for Minister as he has no experience in the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of Dutch parliament.
Bruno Bruins (VVD) will be the Minister of Medical Care under the Ministry of Public Health. He is currently the chairman of benefits organization UWV and was previously a minister in the Balkenende II and Balkenende III governments.
Paul Blokhuis (ChristenUnie) will be the State Secretary of Public Health. He was a policy officer for the ChristenUnie in the Tweede Kamer for years. Between 2003 and 2006 he was in the Provincial State faction of the ChristenUnie and after that he was alderman for healthcare in Apeldoorn.
Ministry of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations
Kasja Ollongren will be the Minister of Home Affairs and Kingdom relations in addition to being Deputy Prime Minister. She is currently alderman and deputy mayor in Amsterdam. Ollongren has a good relationship with Rutte, as she previously worked as secretary-general and one of Rutte's advisors in the Ministry of General Affairs.
Ramond Knops (CDA) will be the State Secretary for Home Affairs. Knops followed officers training and in the Tweede Kamer he is CDA spokesperson for defense and foreign affairs. He is also the vice-president of the Tweede Kamer.
Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality
Carola Schouten will be the Minister of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality in addition to being Deputy Prime Minister. She has been a parliamentarian since 2011 and was one of the ChristenUnie negotiators during the government formation process.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Halbe Zijlstra (VVD) will be the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Zijlstra was the VVD faction chairman in the Tweede Kamer for five years and was one of the VVD negotiators during the government formation process.
Sigrid Kaag (D66) will be the Minister of Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. According to RTL Nieuws, she is known as an international heavyweight and worked as UN Ambassador in Lebanon since 2014. Before that she worked for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate
Eric Wiebes (VVD) will be the Minister of Economy and Climate. He was the State Secretary of Finance in the Rutte II government.
Mona Keijzer will be the State Secretary of Economic Affairs. She's been a CDA parliamentarian since 2012 and is the CDA spokesperson for grounds care, asylum and integration.
Ministry of Justice and Security
Sander Dekker (VVD) will be the Minister of Legal Protection under the Ministry of Justice and Security. He was the State Secretary of Education in the Rutte II government.
Ferdinand Grapperhaus (CDA) will be the Minister of Justice and Security. Grapperhaus is another interesting choice, as he has no political experience. He was managing director for international law firm Allen & Overy.
Mark Harbers (VVD) will be State Secretary of Migration under the Ministry of Justice and Security. He was a parliamentarian and financial spokesperson for the VVD since 2009. Before that he was an alderman in Rotterdam.
Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management
Cora van Nieuwenhuizen (VVD) will be the Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management. She is the only female VVD Minister in the Rutte III government. She became a parliamentarian in 2010, and then went to the European Parliament.
Stientje van Veldhoven (D66) will be the State Secretary of Infrastructure. According to the D66, Van Veldhoven can partly be thanked for the fact that the Rutte III government agreement is the "greenest ever". She's been a D66 parliamentarian since 2010 and worked on the portfolios energy, climate and gas extraction.
Ministry of Defense
Ank Bijleveld (CDA) will be the new Minister of Defense. She is currently the commissioner of the King in Overijssel.
Barbara Visser (VVD) will be the State Secretary of Defense. She's been a VVD parliamentarian since 2010.
This is the first time in history that two female officials are in charge of the Ministry of Defense, according to RTL Nieuws.
Ministry of Finance
Wopke Hoekstra (CDA) will be the Minister of Finance. He is currently a CDA senator and a partner in advisory office McKinsey, where he is active in the energy- and public sectors.
Menno Snel (D66) will be the State Secretary of Finance. He previously worked as an administrator for the international monetary fund IMF and is now in charge of the Nederlandse Waterschapsbank.
Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment
Wouter Koolmees (D66) will be the Minister of Social Affairs and Employment. He's been a D66 parliamentarian since 2010 and was one of the D66 negotiators in the government formation process.
Tamara van Ark (VVD) will be the State Secretary of Social Affairs and Employment. She's been a VVD parliamentarian since 2010.
Ministry of Education, Culture and Science
Ingrid van Engelshoven (D66) will be one of two Ministers of Education, Culture and Science. She was party chairman for the D66 between 2007 and 2013 an is currently an alderman in The Hague.
Arie Slob (ChristenUnie) will be Minister of Primary- and Secondary Education and Media under the Ministry of Education. Slob was a teacher of social science in Zwolle for year. In the Tweede Kamer, from 2001 until he stepped down in 2016, he also worked on education.