Femke Halsema happy, humbled to be Amsterdam mayor

Femke Halsema calls it a "great privilege" to serve her fellow Amsterdam citizens as the mayor of the Dutch capital in the coming years. "The city council of Amsterdam decided to nominate me as mayor of Amsterdam. That makes me happy, proud and humble", the former GroenLinks leader said in a statement, RTL Nieuws reports.

Halsema plans to use the time between now and until she is formally appointed by the cabinet to prepare for her new responsibilities. "With all I can offer I will make every effort to be the mayor of all Amsterdammers", Halsema said. It is expected that she will take office in the summer.

Halsema is both the first GroenLinks mayor and first female mayor of Amsterdam. She was a parliamentarian for her party between 1998 and 2011, according to the broadcaster. From 2002 to 2010 she was also GroenLinks leader. After leaving The Hague politics, Halsema became a publicist, documentary filmmaker and a professor. She is currently chairman of ASN Bank's advisory board and chairman of the supervisory board of publisher WPG.