Fmr. Deputy PM Remkes to be Den Haag's interim mayor: report

VVD politician Johan Remkes was asked to be the interim mayor for The Hague, Omroep West reports based on sources. He agreed to take the position, according to the broadcaster.

After the resignation of VVD mayor Pauline Krikke, in the midst of two major scandals in the city, the municipality of The Hague is looking for a replacement for at least a year. Remkes was asked to fill this position, as the municipality believes he can return stability and calm to the city.

Jaap Smit, the Commissioner of the King in Zuid-Holland, will receive Remkes at the provincial government office on Wednesday afternoon. There the chairmen of the political factions in The Hague can meet Remkes and voice any possible objections to his nomination.

So far in his political career, the 68-year-old Remkes was Commissioner of the King in Noord-Holland, Minister of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations, Deputy Prime Minister, and State Secretary for Housing and Urban Policy. He is currently chairman of the Advisory Board on Nitrogen Issues, set up to help deal with the fact that the Council of State scrapped the Nitrogen Approach Program, bringing dozens of construction projects to a halt.