Hans Wiegel

Hans Wiegel
Member of the Senate
In office June 13, 1995 – April 1, 2000
Queen's Commissioner of Friesland
In office June 16, 1982 – February 1, 1994
Monarch	Beatrix
Preceded by	Hedzer Rijpstra
Succeeded by	Loek Hermans
Member of the House of Representatives
In office August 25, 1981 – May 1, 1982
Parliamentary leader of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy in the House of Representatives
In office May 27, 1981 – April 20, 1982
Preceded by	Koos Rietkerk
Succeeded by	Ed Nijpels
Party Leader of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy
In office July 7, 1971 – April 20, 1982
Preceded by	Molly Geertsema
Succeeded by	Ed Nijpels
Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands
In office December 19, 1977 – September 11, 1981
Prime Minister	Dries van Agt
Preceded by	Wilhelm Friedrich de Gaay Fortman
Succeeded by	Joop den Uyl Jan Terlouw
Minister of the Interior
In office December 19, 1977 – September 11, 1981
Prime Minister	Dries van Agt
Preceded by	Wilhelm Friedrich de Gaay Fortman
Succeeded by	Ed van Thijn
Parliamentary leader of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy in the House of Representatives
In office July 20, 1971 – December 19, 1977
Preceded by	Molly Geertsema
Succeeded by	Koos Rietkerk
Member of the House of Representatives
In office April 18, 1967 – December 19, 1977
Personal details
Born	Hans Wiegel (1941-07-16) July 16, 1941 Amsterdam, Netherlands
Nationality	Dutch
Political party	People's Party for Freedom and Democracy
Spouse(s)	Pien Frederiks (m. 1973-1980; her death) Marianne Frederiks (m. 1982-2005; her death)
Children	Erik (born 1975) Marieke (born 1977)
Residence	Oudega, Netherlands
Alma mater	University of Amsterdam (Bachelor of Arts)
Occupation	Politician Corporate director Columnist Political pundit
Religion	Non-religious (Agnosticism)[1]
Nickname(s)	The Oracle of Leeuwarden The Great Icemaster

Hans Wiegel (Dutch pronunciation: [hɑns ˈʋiɣəɫ]) (born July 16, 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 April 18, 1967. When the Party 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 July 7, 1971 and became the Parliamentary leader of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy in the House of Representatives on July 20, 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 December 19, 1977, until September 11, 1981.

For the Dutch general election of 1981 Wiegel again as lijsttrekker lost two seats and he again returned 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 May 27, 1981, until April 20, 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 June 16, 1982 until February 1, 1994, for almost twelve years. After the Dutch Senate election of 1995, Wiegel became a Member of the Senate, serving from June 13, 1995, until April 1, 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.^[2]

Biography

Early life

Hans Wiegel was born in Amsterdam on July 16, 1941, After completing gymnasium in Hilversum in 1959, Wiegel started studying law at the University of Amsterdam. After a couple of months he switched his major to political science and earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1965. He decided not to pursue a master's degree. Instead, he became involved in politics. Wiegel has been active within the youth wing of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy, the Youth Organisation Freedom and Democracy, of which he had been a member since 1961. In 1963 he was appointed to its national board and in 1965-1966 he was chairman.

Politics

Hans Wiegel as the Parliamentary leader of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy in the House of Representatives in 1971.

Hans Wiegel as Minister of the Interior in 1978.

In 1967 Wiegel was elected as a Member of the House of Representatives. In 1972, when he was only thirty years old, he became the Leader of his party. During the period of the Cabinet Den Uyl Wiegel acted as the main Leader of the Opposition against the Cabinet and Prime Minister Joop den Uyl. In 1977 he negotiated the formation of the Cabinet van Agt I, in this cabinet he became Minister of the Interior and Deputy Prime Minister, Wiegel prepared the constitutional revision of 1983.

Wiegel led the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy in Dutch General Election of 1972, Dutch General Election of 1977, and Dutch General Election of 1981. During his leadership the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy orientation shifted away from the upper class and towards the middle class and educated workers; this led to electoral success.

In 1982 Wiegel left national politics. He was awarded honorary membership of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy and became Queen's Commissioner of Friesland from June 16, 1982 until February 1, 1994. During his period as Queen's Commissioner Wiegel became known as the "Oracle of Diever", because he played an important role advising the VVD and commenting on events in national politics. In 1986 Wiegel was asked to return to the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations; he refused, however.

In 1995 he was elected as a Member of the Senate. 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 left the Senate in 2000, soon after the Night of Wiegel.

Comeback (or not)

On the evening of May 6, 2002 in Leeuwarden, he would be meeting with Pim Fortuyn, who saw in Wiegel a suitable Prime Minister. Earlier that day, however was Fortuyn assassinated in Hilversum.^[3][4]

In October 2005 the local branch of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy in Alphen aan den Rijn called all other local branches to sign a petition to get Wiegel back in active politics. More than 90% of the branches supported this petition. Wiegel wanted to announce whether he is making a comeback or not in March/April 2006. However then leader Jozias van Aartsen stated in January 2006 that Wiegel most likely will be the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy's candidate for Prime Minister in the 2007 elections. In the last years the Dutch press has speculated - he rarely responds to rumors - whether Wiegel will make a comeback.

On March 8, 2006, the day after a poor showing of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy in the Dutch municipal elections of 2006, Wiegel issued a press statement to the effect that he will not return to Dutch politics again.^[5]

On November 22, 2007 Wiegel was announced that he should go to the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy in a broad liberal movement together with the Party for Freedom of Geert Wilders, Rita Verdonk's Proud of the Netherlands and the Democrats 66. Besides Rita Verdonk none of these parties favor of this plan. On September 15, 2009 he repeated these words in the morning bulletin Goodmorning Netherlands Wiegel then called his party should seek cooperation with the Party for Freedom.^[6]

Thirty years years after leaving national politics, Wiegel is still mentioned often as a potential Prime Minister. He still is very popular among People's Party for Freedom and Democracy party members in the Netherlands. He has 'threatened' to return to national politics a number of times, usually resulting in the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy going up in the polls. His opponents admonish this behaviour, implying that he is just trying to keep himself from being forgotten.^[7][8]

On April 12, 2010 during a broadcast of the Dutch TV program De Wereld Draait Door Wiegel humoristic joked to be the best Prime Minister the Netherlands never had. That view was shared by politician Joost Eerdmans on Wiegel's seventieth birthday.^[9] On May 29, 2012 in an interview with the Algemeen Dagblad he expressed criticism on the agreement the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy and the Christian Democratic Appeal made with the Democrats 66, GreenLeft and ChristianUnion on the budgetary crisis and called it "a serious strategic error".^[10][11]

Personal

Wiegel married his first wife Jacqueline Francina "Pien" Frederiks (born September 9, 1954) on June 1, 1973. He had two children with her, Erik (born 1975) and Marieke (born 1977). On November 6, 1980 tragedy struck when Pien Frederiks died after suffering a car crash a few hours before, she was twenty-six years old. She left her two young children behind Erik (5) and Marieke (3). On April 7, 1982 Wiegel was quietly married to his late wife's older sister Marianne Frederiks (born September 21, 1951). On January 6, 2005 tragedy struck again for the now sixty-three-year-old Wiegel when, in an ironic twist of fate, Marianne Frederiks died in a car crash at the age of fifty-three.

Decorations

•  Netherlands
  • Order of the Netherlands Lion
    • Knight (October 26, 1981)
  • Order of Oranje-Nassau
    • Commander (April 28, 1989)
    • Grand Officer (January 20, 1994)

References

External links

• (Dutch) H. (Hans) Wiegel (Parlement & Politiek)
• (Dutch) H. Wiegel (VVD) (Eerste Kamer der Staten-Generaal)

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hans Wiegel.

v t e Deputy Prime Ministers of the Netherlands Drees Van Schaik Teulings Beel Struycken Korthals Biesheuvel Vondeling De Quay Witteveen Bakker Nelissen Geertsema Van Agt De Gaay Fortman Wiegel Den Uyl Terlouw Van Aardenne De Korte Kok Dijkstal Van Mierlo Jorritsma Borst Bomhoff Remkes De Boer Zalm De Graaf Brinkhorst Bos Rouvoet Verhagen Asscher

v t e Ministers of the Interior of the Netherlands Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations Luzac De Kempenaer Thorbecke Van Reenen Simons Van Rappard Hieronymus van Tets van Goudriaan Van Heemstra Thorbecke Geertsema Carelszoon J. Heemskerk Fock Thorbecke Van Bosse Geertsema Carelszoon J. Heemskerk Kappeyne van de Coppello Six Pijnacker Hordijk J. Heemskerk Mackay De Savornin Lohman Tak van Poortvliet Van Houten Goeman Borgesius Kuyper Rink T. Heemskerk Cort van der Linden De Beerenbrouck De Geer Kan De Beerenbrouck De Wilde Boeijen Burger Van Boeijen Beel Witteman Van Maarseveen Van Schaik Teulings Van Maarseveen Teulings Beel Van Oven Suurhoff Struycken Toxopeus Smallenbroek Samkalden Verdam Beernink Geertsema De Gaay Fortman Wiegel Van Thijn Rood Rietkerk Korthals Altes De Korte Van Dijk De Koning Van Dijk Dales Hirsch Ballin Van Thijn De Graaff-Nauta Dijkstal Peper Van Boxtel De Vries Remkes Ter Horst Hirsch Ballin Donner Spies Plasterk