Hans Dijkstal Politician
Henri Frans "Hans" Dijkstal (February 28, 1943 – May 9, 2010) was a Dutch politician of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD). He served as a Member of the House of Representatives from November 11, 1982 until June 3, 1986 and from July 30, 1986 until August 22, 1994 when he became Minister of the Interior and Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands in the Cabinet Kok I. After the Dutch general election of 1998 incumbent Party leader of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy Frits Bolkestein announced his retirement and Dijkstal was elected his successor. He returned to the House of Representatives on May 19, 1998 and became the Parliamentary leader of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy in the House of Representatives and the Party leaders of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy on July 30, 1998. For the Dutch general election of 2002 he was the lijsttrekker (top candidate), Dijkstal and Ad Melkert the Party leader of the Labour Party were the front runners to become the next Prime Minister, but the unexpected arrival of Pim Fortuyn of Livable Netherlands (LN) and later the Pim Fortuyn List (LPF), turned the polls. Fortuyn blamed the problems in the country on the Purple cabinets (in which both Dijkstal and Melkert served as ministers). Fortuyn depicted Dijkstal and Melkert as two bureaucrats who didn't understand the feelings and problems among the population. After a heated campaign a mere days before the election, Fortuyn was assassinated in Hilversum. The People's Party for Freedom and Democracy suffered a big defeat in the election losing fourteen seats, Dijkstal accepted responsibility for the defeat and sequentially left national politics. He resigned as Party leader of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy and Parliamentary leader of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy in the House of Representatives on May 16, 2002 and gave up his seat in the House of Representatives on September 1, 2002.
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Office holder
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| office | Member of the House of Representatives Minister of the Interior Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands Parliamentary leader of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy in the House of Representatives Party leader of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy |
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