Fmr. Health Minister open to succeeding Mark Rutte as VVD leader
It is not Edith Schipper’s ambition to succeed Prime Minister Mark Rutte as the leader of the VVD, but she is open to the idea. The former Minister of Public Health said that in a video shared by the VVD on Twitter in which she announced her candidacy for VVD-faction leader in the Senate in the provincial council elections next year.
“I can think everything from the sidelines, but it suits me better to join in,” Schippers said in the video. “The Senate is just a little further away from current affairs, from the issues of the day.” She said that the Senate performs an essential function in assessing whether devised solutions would work in practice.
Schippers is currently the chairman of the board of directors of DSM Europe. Being a Senator costs only one day a week, so she will continue at DSM, she said. But she stressed that she would be transparent about what she does in addition to her position as Senator.
If the Senate were to discuss DSM, Schippers would say out of it and let her VVD colleagues handle the debate and any decisions. But if it comes to the business world in general, she is eager to contribute her experiences.
Rutte responded on Twitter that he is delighted “Edith is returning to politics in The Hague.” “Her knowledge and experience make her the person to lead the faction in the Eerste Kamer. I look forward to her arrival!” he tweeted.
Schippers was the Minister of Public Health, Welfare, and Sports from 2010 to 2017. She also served as a parliamentarian for the VVD.
The Eerste Kamer, the Dutch Senate, is elected by the Provincial Council. The Provincial Council elections will be held on March 15 next year, and they will elect the Senate two months later, according to NOS.
