Frans Weisglas

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Frans Weisglas

Speaker of the Dutch House of Representatives
In office 2002 – November 29, 2006
Preceded by	Jeltje van Nieuwenhoven
Succeeded by	Gerdi Verbeet

Born	August 8, 1946 (1946-08-08) (age 61) The Hague, Netherlands
Political party	People's Party for Freedom and Democracy
Website	www.fransweisglas.nl

Frans W. Weisglas (born The Hague, August 8, 1946) is a Dutch politician for the VVD party. He was a member of Dutch House of Representatives between 1982 and 2006, serving as President of the House in his last four parliamentary years.

Weisglas studied economics at the Erasmus University, in Rotterdam, obtaining a degree in 1970. After his graduation, he worked for some years for the Dutch foreign service, being part of the Permanent Mission of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the United Nations (1970-1977). He then worked as a secretary to the Dutch Minister of Development Cooperation (1978-1981). In 1982, he became an elected member of the Dutch House of Representatives, where he focused on foreign and European affairs.

In 2002, Weisglas was elected President of the House, after Jeltje van Nieuwenhoven of the Labour Party stepped down. He was the first President of the House to be elected and re-elected (2003) by a democratic vote among parliamentarians.

On August 15, 2006, he announced that he will not be a candidate in the 2006 Dutch general election, ending his 24 year-old career as a politician. His last day presiding as the President of the House was on November 29, 2006.