Jan Peter Balkenende
Jan Pieter (nickname: Jan Peter ) Balkenende listen / i ( born May 7, 1956 in Biezelinge ) is a former Dutch politician (CDA )? . From 22 July 2002 to 14 October 2010, he was Prime Minister of the Netherlands. On 9 June 2010, he announced his retirement from politics.
Life
Balkenende, the eldest son of a merchant and a teacher, attended elementary school in chapel and a Protestant secondary school in Goes. Balkenende studied from 1974 to 1982 initially social and economic history, then law at the Free University of Amsterdam. After receiving his doctorate in 1992 he taught as a foundation professor on the subject of "Christian social thought on society and the economy ." He married 1996, the lawyer Bianca Hoogendijk and has a daughter with this.
Policy
From 1982 to 1998 Balkenende sat for the CDA in the city council of Amstelveen and from 1994 to Group Chairman. He worked from 1984 to 1998 for the scientific institute of the CDA.
In 1998 he was first elected to the second chamber of the Dutch Parliament. He was financial spokesman of his party and also dealt with social, legal and domestic policy issues. He was an advocate of an aligned on fiscal consolidation fiscal policy. On 1 October 2001, he was the group's presidency.
First Cabinet 2002/2003
For the elections of May 2002, Balkenende was the top candidate of the CDA. The elections were marred by the assassination of politician Pim Fortuyn; CDA won back its position as the largest party in the Netherlands. Balkenende formed with the VVD and the Lijst Pim Fortuyn (LPF ), a coalition. He was on 22 July 2002 as a successor to the Social Democrats, Wim Kok, Prime Minister.
The first cabinet but failed after 82 days due to disputes, especially within the LPF, which is why the entire government resigned and new elections were needed. From this he went again as the winner.
Second and third Cabinet 2003-2007
After Balkenende attempts a grand coalition with the Social Democrats failed, he formed a Christian-Liberal coalition with VVD and D66. Priorities of the government were the reform of public services, the fight against crime, a more restrictive immigration policy and drastic spending cuts. He came in part to strong opposition and criticism; the poll numbers of his party as well as for himself declined significantly. Nevertheless, his party defended in the European elections of 2004 the status as the strongest party.
From 1 July 2004 to 31 December 2004, he was during the Dutch presidency for six months Chairman of the European Council.
As a result of the dispute over the naturalization of women's rights activist Hirsi Ali broke the Dutch coalition government on 29 June 2006. Balkenende resigned then and formed on 7 July 2006 a minority government ( his third cabinet ) of CDA and VVD, which in up to early elections November 2006 at the office remained.
Fourth Cabinet 2007-2010
In the election on 22 November 2006, the CDA was despite losses again emerged as the strongest party. This was followed by almost three-month coalition negotiations with the PvdA and the CU. The fourth Balkenende government was sworn in on 22 February 2007. Jan Peter Balkenende reiterated on the occasion of the celebrations for the 50th anniversary of the EU 's criticism of the draft European Constitutional Treaty.
In the dispute about a continuation of the Netherlands' commitment to the ISAF mission in Afghanistan broke up in February 2010, the fourth Balkenende coalition. The Socialist Labour Party had opposed an extension of the mandate in the province of Uruzgan, on the other hand Balkenende supported a beyond August 2010 use. The PvdA then declared 20 February 2010 to withdraw from the government.
Up to the early parliamentary elections on 9 June 2010 Balkenende remained business leader with a minority government in office. During the campaign, he showed, among other things with a T- shirt bearing the words "Fuck drugs" and answered a journalist who wanted to push him to a coalition statement: " U kijkt zo ran. " ("You look so nice. " ) Above all the latter was criticized, Femke Halsema, leader of the party Groen links thought she had the answer with a knietje ( " knee kick in the groin ").
The halving of the CDA at that election brought him on election night to announce his retirement from politics.