Chair of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Chair of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy is the party chair, chief administrator and manager of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (Dutch: Volkspartij voor Vrijheid en Democratie, VVD) in the Netherlands. The current chair is Eric Wetzels.
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| Chairman of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy | |
|---|---|
| Partijvoorzitter van de Volkspartij voor Vrijheid en Democratie | |
| |
Incumbent since 7 October 2022Eric Wetzels | |
| Member of | Party Board |
| Formation | 28 January 1948 |
| First holder | Dirk Stikker |
| Deputy | Eric Wetzels (Vice Chair) |
History
The VVD chair is the head of the party board and leads several committees. The duties of the chair are typically concerned with the party membership as a whole, and the activities of the party organization, the internal party governance, its finances and the Telders Foundation think tank.
The Chair plays an important role in strategies to recruit and retain members, in campaign fundraising.[1]
Due to a separation of power in the VVD's structure the chair is relatively weak and merely controls the party organization. The leader of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy is the most senior politician within the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy and decides over the party's political course.
Chairs
| Chair | Term of office | Positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
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Dirk Stikker (1897–1979) |
28 January 1948 – 7 August 1948 (192 days) |
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Pieter Oud (1886–1968) |
7 August 1948 – 9 April 1949 (245 days) [Acting] |
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| 9 April 1949 – 9 November 1963 (14 years, 214 days) | |||
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Kornelis van der Pols (1906–1995) |
9 November 1963 – 29 March 1969 (5 years, 140 days) |
|
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Haya van Someren (1926–1980) |
29 March 1969 – 15 March 1975 (5 years, 351 days) |
|
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Frits Korthals Altes (1931–2025) |
15 March 1975 – 22 May 1981 (6 years, 68 days) |
|
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Jan Kamminga (born 1947) |
22 May 1981 – 29 November 1986 (5 years, 191 days) |
|
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Leendert Ginjaar (1928–2003) |
29 November 1986 – 4 October 1991 (4 years, 309 days) |
|
 |
Dian van Leeuwen-Schut (born 1939) |
4 October 1991 – 27 May 1994 (2 years, 235 days) |
|
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Willem Hoekzema (born 1939) |
27 May 1994 – 28 May 1999 (5 years, 1 day) |
|
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Bas Eenhoorn (born 1946) |
28 May 1999 – 28 November 2003 (4 years, 184 days) |
|
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Jan van Zanen (born 1961) |
28 November 2003 – 23 May 2008 (4 years, 177 days) |
|
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Ivo Opstelten (born 1944) |
23 May 2008 – 14 October 2010 (2 years, 144 days) |
|
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Mark Verheijen (born 1976) |
14 October 2010 – 22 May 2011 (220 days) |
|
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Benk Korthals (born 1944) |
22 May 2011 – 14 June 2014 (3 years, 23 days) |
|
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Henry Keizer (1960–2019) |
14 June 2014 – 18 May 2017 (2 years, 338 days) |
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Eric Wetzels (born 1959) |
18 May 2017 – 25 November 2017 (191 days) |
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Christianne van der Wal (born 1973) |
25 November 2017 – 10 January 2022 (4 years, 46 days) |
|
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Onno Hoes (born 1961) |
10 January 2022 – 7 October 2022 (270 days) |
|
|
Eric Wetzels (born 1959) |
7 October 2022 – 10 December 2025 (3 years, 64 days) |
|
|
Ton van Nimwegen (born 1969) |
10 December 2025 – Incumbent (239 days) |
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Vice Chairs
- Pieter Oud (28 January 1948 – 8 April 1949)
- Harm van Riel (8 April 1949 – 15 May 1963)
- Johan Witteveen (15 May 1963 – 24 July 1963)
- Hans Roelen (24 July 1963 – 16 July 1969)
- Henk Talsma (16 July 1969 – 1978)
- Hendrik Toxopeus (1978 – 1979)
- Jan Kamminga (1979 – 22 May 1981)
- Liesbeth Tuijnman (22 May 1981 – December 1985)
- Ivo Opstelten (February 1986 – 22 May 1993)
- Jan Gmelich Meijling (22 May 1993 – 22 Augustus 1994)
- Ronald Haafkens (22 Augustus 1994 – 28 May 1999)
- Sari van Heemskerck Pillis-Duvekot (28 May 1999 – 2004; Co-Chair)
- Rudolf Sandberg tot Essenburg (28 May 1999 – 2000; Co-Chair)
- Paul Tirion (2000 – 2001; Co-Chair)
- Mark Harbers (2001 – 2005; Co-Chair)
- Ines Adema (2004 – 4 April 2008; Co-Chair)
- Rogier van der Sande (2005 – 4 April 2008; Co-Chair)
- Mark Verheijen (4 April 2008 – 21 May 2012)
- Wiet de Bruijn (21 May 2012 – 14 June 2014; Co-Chair)
- Robert Reibestein (21 May 2012 – 14 June 2014;Co-Chair)
- Jeannette Baljeu (14 June 2014 – 20 May 2017)
- Eric Wetzels (20 May 2017 – 2020)