Third Balkenende cabinet
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The Third Balkenende cabinet is the current caretaker cabinet of the Netherlands. It was formed on 7 July 2006 after a crisis in and the subsequent resignation of the second Balkenende cabinet. This demissionary minority cabinet of CDA and VVD was negotiated by former prime minister Ruud Lubbers[1]. The main tasks for this interim cabinet are the preparations for the early general election on 22 November 2006 and the preparation of the 2007 budget.
Although only a minority of members of parliament was represented in the cabinet, the cabinet had full power to propose laws, each of which needs to be supported by an ad hoc majority in parliament. The constituent parties of the third Balkenende cabinet did have a majority (of one seat) in the senate.
Minority cabinets are rare in Dutch politics: the previous minority cabinet was the 1982-1983 third cabinet Van Agt.
On December 13, 2006, the cabinet came into crisis after a motion of disapproval against minister Verdonk was passed in the parliament, after she refused to suspend the extradition of illegal immigrants whom asylum procedure has ended, in anticipation of a "general pardon" to be made by a new cabinet that still has to be formed. Verdonk and the cabinet believe that suspending extraditions is a de facto "general pardon," a policy change a demissionary cabinet cannot make. It is unclear if Verdonk will seek a resignation from the Dutch Queen after this disapproval by parliament.[2][3]
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[edit] Composition
The third Balkenende cabinet consists of 16 ministers and 7 junior ministers (staatssecretaris). These positions are divided among the coalition members according to their size in parliament: CDA supplies 9 ministers and 4 junior ministers and VVD supplies 7 ministers and 3 junior ministers. All members of this cabinet also served in the second Balkenende cabinet, except for junior minister for Education Bruno Bruins, who was scheduled to succeed former junior minister Mark Rutte, when the second Balkenende cabinet fell unexpectedly. Joop Wijn (economic affairs) and Atzo Nicolaï (governmental reform and kingdom relations) were promoted from junior minister to full minister to replace the D66 ministers in the second Balkenende cabinet[4].
October 27th 2005, a fire erupted at a detention center at Schiphol airport, resulting in the death of 11 foreign nationals. From the start doubts were shed on the organisation of the involved government agencies. On the 21st September 2006 the Dutch Safety Board presented the final report on the problems in the Schiphol prison. The report explicitly stated that 'fewer or even no casualties' would have occurred if the government had upheld the legal safety standards. Based on these harsh conclusions ministers Donner (Justice), responsible for prisons, and Dekker (Housing), responsible for government buildings resigned immediately.
On 22nd September 2006 two new ministers were assigned to the posts left by Donner and Dekker. Ernst Hirsch Ballin of the CDA is the new justice minister. During the earlier third Lubbers cabinet he held the same position; from which he resigned in 1994 after the IRT-affair. The former minister of environment in the first Lubbers cabinet, Pieter Winsemius of the VVD, has replaced Dekker. [5]
[edit] Ministers
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Prime Minister, Minister of General Affairs (CDA) |
Jan Peter Balkenende |
| Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Finance (VVD) |
Gerrit Zalm |
| Minister of Economic Affairs (CDA) | Joop Wijn |
| Minister of Interior and Kingdom Relations (VVD) | Johan Remkes |
| Minister of Foreign affairs (CDA) | Ben Bot |
| Minister of Justice (CDA) | Piet Hein Donner resigned 21 Sep 2006) Ernst Hirsch Ballin |
| Minister of Education, Culture and Science (CDA) | Maria van der Hoeven |
| Minister for Development Cooperation (CDA) | Agnes van Ardenne |
| Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport (VVD) | Hans Hoogervorst |
| Minister of Defence (VVD) | Henk Kamp |
| Minister of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment (VVD) | Sybilla Dekker resigned 21 Sep 2006 Pieter Winsemius |
| Minister of Transport, Public Works and Water Management (CDA) | Karla Peijs |
| Minister for Government Reform and Kingdom Relations (VVD) | Atzo Nicolaï |
| Minister of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality (CDA) | Cees Veerman |
| Minister of Social Affairs and Employment (CDA) | Aart Jan de Geus |
| Minister for Immigration and Integration (VVD) | Rita Verdonk |
[edit] State Secretaries
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| State Secretary for Higher Education (VVD) | Bruno Bruins |
| State Secretary for Defence (CDA) | Cees van der Knaap |
| State Secretary for the Environment (CDA) | Pieter van Geel |
| State Secretary for Transport and Water Management (VVD) | Melanie Schultz van Haegen |
| State Secretary for Trade (CDA) | Karien van Gennip |
| State Secretary for Social Affairs (VVD) | Henk van Hoof |
| State Secretary for Welfare and Sport (CDA) | Clémence Ross-Van Dorp |
[edit] References
- ^ Dutch PM to lead minority government, Financial Times, July 5, 2006
- ^ "Dutch caretaker government plunged into crisis by motion condemning immigration minister", IHT, 2006-12-13.
- ^ "Dutch caretaker-government faces collapse", Financial Times, 2006-12-13.
- ^ Dutch news in brief, Expatica, July 5, 2006
- ^ Oudgedienden op Justitie en VROM (in Dutch), NOS Journaal, September 22, 2006
[edit] External links
| Cabinets of the Netherlands |
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| Schimmelpenninck • De Kempenaer/Donker Curtius • Thorbecke I • Van Hall/Donker Curtius • Van der Brugghen • Rochussen •Van Hall/Van Heemstra • Van Zuylen van Nijevelt/Van Heemstra •Thorbecke II • Fransen van de Putte •Van Zuylen van Nijevelt • Van Bosse/Fock • Thorbecke III • De Vries/Fransen van de Putte • Heemskerk/Van Lynden van Sandenburg • Kappeyne van de Coppello • Van Lynden van Sandenburg • Heemskerk Azn. • Mackay • Van Tienhoven • Röell • Pierson • Kuyper • De Meester • Heemskerk • Cort van der Linden • Ruijs de Beerenbrouck I • Ruijs de Beerenbrouck II • Colijn I • De Geer I • Ruijs de Beerenbrouck III • Colijn II • Colijn III • Colijn IV • Colijn V • De Geer II • Gerbrandy I • Gerbrandy II • Gerbrandy III • Schermerhorn/Drees • Beel I • Drees/Van Schaik • Drees I • Drees II • Drees III • Beel II • De Quay • Marijnen • Cals • Zijlstra • De Jong • Biesheuvel I • Biesheuvel II • Den Uyl • Van Agt I • Van Agt II • Van Agt III • Lubbers I • Lubbers II • Lubbers III • Kok I • Kok II • Balkenende I • Balkenende II • Balkenende III |
