Hans Wiegel Politician
Hans Wiegel (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈhɑns ˈʋiɣəl]; born 16 July 1941) is a retired Dutch politician of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD). He became a Member of the House of Representatives on 18 April 1967. When the Leader of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy and Parliamentary leader in the House of Representatives Molly Geertsema became Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands and Minister of the Interior in the Cabinet Biesheuvel I, Wiegel was chosen to succeed him in both positions, he became youngest Party Leader of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy ever at the age of twenty-nine on 7 July 1971 and became the Parliamentary leader of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy in the House of Representatives on 20 July 1971. For the Dutch general election of 1972 Wiegel was the lijsttrekker (top candidate) and won six seats in the House of Representatives. Wiegel served as opposition leader against then Prime Minister Joop den Uyl and his cabinet. After the Dutch general election of 1977 Wiegel for a second time as lijsttrekker won again six seats and after a long formation period resulted in a coalition agreement with the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) which formed the Cabinet Van Agt I. Wiegel became Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands and Minister of the Interior serving from 19 December 1977, until 11 September 1981.For the Dutch general election of 1981 Wiegel again as lijsttrekker lost two seats and he again returned to the House of Representatives and as the Parliamentary leader of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy in the House of Representatives serving 27 May 1981, until 20 April 1982 when Wiegel wanted to leave national politics to become the Queen's Commissioner of Friesland, Wiegel was succeeded as Parliamentary leader of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy in the House of Representatives and Party Leader of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy by his chosen successor Ed Nijpels.Wiegel served as Queen's Commissioner of Friesland from 16 June 1982 until 1 February 1994, for almost twelve years. After the Dutch Senate election of 1995, Wiegel became a Member of the Senate, serving from 13 June 1995, until 1 April 2000. In 1999 Wiegel caused a short cabinet crisis by voting against the constitutional revision that would make national referendums possible. This crisis is called the Night of Wiegel.Wiegel retired from active politics at the age of fifty-eight but continued to occupy numerous seats on supervisory boards in the business and industry world, including the Netherlands Healthcare insurance board, Staatsbosbeheer, Energy Research Centre of the Netherlands, Achmea and VNO-NCW. In recent years Wiegel has obtained by some as the status of a statesman and continues to comment on political affairs.
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Office holder
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| office | Member of the House of Representatives Member of the Senate 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 Queen's Commissioner of Friesland |
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