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Post by pieter on Mar 18, 2021 9:18:55 GMT -7
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Post by pieter on Mar 18, 2021 9:29:54 GMT -7
 Democrats 1966Democrats 66 (Dutch: Democraten 66; D66, Politieke Partij Democraten 66) is a social liberal political party in the Netherlands. Its name refers to the year 1966, when it was founded by a group of young intellectuals, led by journalist Hans van Mierlo. Henricus Antonius Franciscus Maria Oliva "Hans" van Mierlo (18 August 1931 – 11 March 2010) was a Dutch politician and co-founder of the Democrats 66 (D66) party and journalist.Initially, the party's main objective had been to democratise the Dutch political system, but it developed a broader social liberal ideology over time. In the 1967 general election, the party won 7 out of 150 seats in the House of Representatives. No new party had ever gained that many seats before. The party was in government from 1973 to 1977, 1981 to 1982, 1994 to 2002, 2003 to 2006 and 2017 to 2021. It currently holds 19 seats in the House of Representatives, 7 seats in the Senate and 2 seats in the European Parliament.
The party is especially popular among people who hold a university degree, and its voters are mostly concentrated in larger cities and in municipalities with an above-average number of wealthy residents. The party supplies a relatively large proportion of mayors, who are appointed rather than elected. D66 is a member of the Liberal International (LI) and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE).
Currently, the party is led by Sigrid Kaag, who was elected party leader on 4 September 2020. Rob Jetten, Annelien Bredenoord and Sophie in 't Veld are serving as the party's parliamentary leaders in the House of Representatives, the Senate and the European Parliament respectively.
Ideologically the social liberal D66 is linked to People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), although VVD is considered a party of conservative liberalism. This resulted in four coalition governments (Kok I, Kok II, Balkenende II and Rutte III). Both D66 and the VVD are member of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) and their respective members in the European Parliament are affiliated to the ALDE Group; they have campaigned with the same ALDE programme in European Parliament elections; they have together formed electoral alliances and they have worked together in one VVD/D66 European Parliament parliamentary party.Sigrid Kaag Sigrid Agnes Maria Kaag ( born 2 November 1961) is a Dutch diplomat and politician, serving as Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation in the Third Rutte cabinet since 26 October 2017 and as the leader of the Democrats 66 since 4 September 2020.
A diplomat by occupation, Kaag worked as a civil servant for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 1990 until 1993 when she became a United Nations official for the UNRWA in Jerusalem from 1994 until 1997. Kaag worked as an administrator at the International Organization for Migration in Geneva from 1998 until 2004 when she became a senior advisor of the United Nations for Khartoum and Nairobi until 2005 when she became a senior official at UNICEF. Kaag served as Regional Director for Middle East and North Africa for UNICEF in Amman from 2007 until May 2010 when she was appointed Assistant Secretary-General and Director of the Bureau of External Relations of the UNDP in New York. She oversaw UNDP's strategic external engagement, organization-wide communication and advocacy, as well as resource mobilization.
Election poster 2021 with D66 party leader Sigrid Kaag
From January 2015 until October 2017 she served as the United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon (UNSCOL). Prior to that she served as Under Secretary-General and Special Coordinator of the United Nations – Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (UN-OPCW) Joint Mission to eliminate the declared chemical weapons programme of the Syrian Arab Republic between October 2013 and September 2014. Until her mission in Syria she was employed as Assistant Secretary-General and Assistant Administrator and Director of the Bureau of External Relations and Advocacy of the United Nations Development Programme.Personal lifeKaag is married and has four children. Her husband, Anis al-Qaq is a Palestinian national from the West Bank who has served as a deputy minister under Yasser Arafat in the 1990s and as the Palestinian representative to Switzerland. Kaag is a noted polyglot and speaks six languages: Dutch, English, German, French, Spanish and Arabic. She is a practicing Catholic. She was the first Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General featured in the Dutch edition of Vogue fashion and lifestyle magazine. Sigrid Kaag with her husband Anis al-Qaq, sons and daughters and Yasser Arafat. Kaag said that she realised that her sons and daughters probably would have a hard time on the Dutch job market finding a job due to their Arabic name and Arabic Palestinian looks of their father. She said that being a 'Female politician' makes you the subject for sexist attacks and discrimination. She urged girls and young women to be political active and to 'never give up' and 'never let them tell you that you are less, because you are a woman or girl." |
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Post by Jaga on Mar 19, 2021 23:08:59 GMT -7
Hello Pieter, thanks for introduction to Sigrid Kaag. She is in a great shape and her life seem remarkable with four children and a Palestinian husband. She went through the glass ceiling, really...
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Post by pieter on Mar 20, 2021 1:41:05 GMT -7
Jaga,
Yes, she had and has a quite remarkable life. It was not easy to return from an International diplomatic life and living in Lebanon and Eastern Jerusalem and coming back to the political hotbed of The Hague and the Dutch political Arena. She wasn't spared. Her Palestinian husband and children made her a target for Islamophobes, anti-Palestinian Dutch groups and individuals, racism, xenophobia and discrimination and misogyny. She was the most targeted and threatened woman during the campaign. She didn't want to focus on that but journalists forced her to address the issue and talk about it.
That was for her the shadow side or downside of her return to the Netherlands, the government job she took and becoming the leader of D66. You are in the press light, are constantly followed outside your office and are part of the Political world. You haven't got the privilege other citizens have. The privilege of anonymity. She choose to do what she did. Being a diplomat, serving as a Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation in the Third Rutte cabinet since 26 October 2017 and as the leader of the Democrats 66 since 4 September 2020.
She did well, she won and now she has a position, a more dominant position and she can negotiate with the VVD what kind of coalition government (Cabinet of Prime Minister and Ministers) they will make.
After finding out that D66 had come runner-up, party leader Sigrid Kaag jumped on the table with happiness. "What a wonderful evening," she tweeted. "Now let's get to work, the future won't wait." She told reporters voters were ready for "the optimism and vision" of her party (D66). "This evening it's been confirmed that the Dutch are not extremists, but are moderate. People appreciate positivity."
www.dutchnews.nl/news/2021/03/d66-moral-victor-in-the-dutch-2021-elections-what-the-papers-say/
Cheers,
Pieter
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Post by pieter on Mar 20, 2021 1:43:36 GMT -7
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Post by pieter on Mar 20, 2021 2:08:18 GMT -7
Sigrid Kaag as international top diplomat
This Dutch minister and liberal politician has a pragmatic, practical and solution solving nature. In her looks and style she is tyical North-West-European in the sense of the Swedish, Danish, German, Dutch, Belgian, Luxemburg sphere. She could be Scandinavian in her looks and mentality. A Danish diplomat or Danish Prime Minister. I wonder if she will reach the position of the Dutch prime minister in the near future. Today of course the VVD is the absolute winner, the largest political party, so Mark Rutte will become prime minister again.
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Post by pieter on Mar 20, 2021 2:09:59 GMT -7
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Post by pieter on Mar 20, 2021 2:10:51 GMT -7
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Post by pieter on Mar 20, 2021 2:13:47 GMT -7
Clash Sigrid Kaag with Geert Wilders
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Post by pieter on Mar 20, 2021 2:31:49 GMT -7
With very progressive ads Sigrid Kaag attracted GreenLeft, Labour and Socialist Party voters from the left and attracted moderate liberal voters of the D66 and undecided voters as well.
D66 Party congress speech Sigrid Kaag
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Post by pieter on Mar 20, 2021 2:47:09 GMT -7
The liberal D66 party has several top women, top level politicians withing it's ranks. Higly professional, carreer women, who worked hard to reach the level they reached. They broke the glass ceiling. Not only Sigrid Kaag, but more Dutch women Jaga. All of them faced and face the same mysogyny, sexism and aversion and hatred, but that didn't stop them. I think women who reach such positions receive the same reactions all over Europe and the world. Kajsa Ollongren of the same D66 party as Sigrid Kaag, has, as well experience as civil servant - and the highest function of them secretary general- as political and governmental experiences. She explains the differences. She tells about her efforts and invites women to persevere in moving up, as well in politics as in the administrative top. Jonkvrouw (Dutch nobility title) Karin Hildur "Kajsa" Ollongren (born 28 May 1967) is a Dutch politician serving as second Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands since 14 May 2020 and Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations in the Third Rutte cabinet since 14 April 2020. She is a member of the Democrats 66 (D66) party. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kajsa_OllongrenOllongren introduction as minister in The Hague |
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Post by pieter on Mar 20, 2021 2:54:10 GMT -7
Mr. Drs. Ingrid van Engelshoven D66 Minister of Education, Culture and Science
Drs. Stientje van Veldhoven (born 1973) D66 Minister for Environment and Housing (within Interior and Kingdom Relations)
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Post by pieter on Mar 20, 2021 2:59:20 GMT -7
Drs. Ank Bijleveld (born 1962)Minister for the General Intelligence and Security Service (Christian Democratic CDA party)
Drs. Carola Schouten (born 1977) Minister of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality (Christian Union party)
Drs. Cora van Nieuwenhuizen (born 1963) Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management (Conservative liberal VVD party)
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Post by pieter on Mar 20, 2021 3:02:02 GMT -7
Anneke "Ankie" Broekers-Knol (born 23 November 1946) is a Dutch politician and jurist serving as State Secretary for Justice and Security in the Third Rutte cabinet since 11 June 2019. She is a member of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD).
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Post by pieter on Mar 20, 2021 3:04:24 GMT -7
Alexandra Carla van Huffelen (born 21 July 1968) is a Dutch politician serving as State Secretary for Finance since 29 January 2020. A member of the Democrats 66 (D66) party, she was a member of the Senate from 2015 to 2020 and Director of the Gemeente Vervoerbedrijf from 2014 until 2020. She started her political career as an alderwoman in Rotterdam, holding the public space planning portfolio.
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