Historical rankings of Prime Ministers of the Netherlands

NRC Handelsblad

Willem Drees is highly rated for his post-war leadership and social reforms.

In 2013 newspaper NRC Handelsblad conducted two opinion polls, one with fifty experts and one with their readers. The polls asked respondents to give their opinion on who was the best Prime Minister of the Netherlands since 1900.[1]

Ranking Prime Minister Term Political Party
1st Willem Drees 1948–1958 Labour Party
2nd Ruud Lubbers 1982–1994 Christian Democratic Appeal
3rd Pieter Cort van der Linden 1913–1918 Independent (Liberal)
4th Piet de Jong 1967–1971 Catholic People's Party
5th Joop den Uyl 1973–1977 Labour Party
6th Wim Kok 1994–2002 Labour Party
7th Hendrikus Colijn 1925–1926 / 1933–1939 Anti Revolutionary Party
8th Wim Schermerhorn 1945–1946 Labour Party
9th Abraham Kuyper 1901–1905 Anti Revolutionary Party
10th Jan Peter Balkenende 2002–2010 Christian Democratic Appeal

Maurice de Hond

An opinion poll conducted by Maurice de Hond from the polling site Peil.nl had the following results.[2]

Ranking Prime Minister Term Political party
1st Ruud Lubbers 1982–1994 Christian Democratic Appeal
2nd Wim Kok 1994–2002 Labour Party
3rd Willem Drees 1948–1958 Labour Party
4th Joop den Uyl 1973–1977 Labour Party
5th Mark Rutte 2010–Incumbent People's Party for Freedom and Democracy
6th Jan Peter Balkenende 2002–2010 Christian Democratic Appeal
Ruud Lubbers is highly rated for his cold-war leadership and economic growth.

VPRO

In 2006 Dutch Public broadcaster VPRO conducted an opinion poll for the best Prime Minister of the Netherlands after World War II.[3]

Ranking Prime Minister Term Political Party
1st Willem Drees 1948–1958 Labour Party
2nd Joop den Uyl 1973–1977 Labour Party
3rd Ruud Lubbers 1982–1994 Christian Democratic Appeal
4th Wim Kok 1994–2002 Labour Party
5th Jan Peter Balkenende 2002–2010 Christian Democratic Appeal
6th Piet de Jong 1967–1971 Catholic People's Party
7th Dries van Agt 1977–1982 Christian Democratic Appeal
8th Jelle Zijlstra 1966–1967 Anti Revolutionary Party
9th Wim Schermerhorn 1945–1946 Labour Party
10th Jo Cals 1965–1966 Catholic People's Party
11th Barend Biesheuvel 1971–1973 Anti Revolutionary Party
12th Jan de Quay 1959–1963 Catholic People's Party
13th Louis Beel 1946–1948
1958-1959		 Catholic People's Party
14th Victor Marijnen 1963–1965 Catholic People's Party

States General of the Netherlands

Pieter Cort van der Linden is highly rated for keeping the Netherlands neutral during the World War I.

An opinion poll conducted by the States General of the Netherlands in 2002 had the following results for the best and the worst Prime Minister of the twentieth century. Of the 225 MPs, 200 responded. Of them, 110 (49 per cent of MPs) handed in a list, the others did not participate for various reasons. The participation by political parties is as follows: Labour Party 57%, People's Party for Freedom and Democracy 44%, Christian Democratic Appeal 43%, Democrats 66 39%, GreenLeft 58%, Socialist Party 43%, Reformed Political Party 20%, ChristianUnion 44% and the Independent Senate Group Group 100%.[4]

Best Ranking Prime Minister Term Political party
1st Pieter Cort van der Linden 1913-1918 Independent (Liberal)
2nd Willem Drees 1948-1958 Labour Party
3rd Joop den Uyl 1973–1977 Labour Party
4th Ruud Lubbers 1982–1994 Christian Democratic Appeal
5th Wim Kok 1994-2002 Labour Party
6th Jelle Zijlstra 1966-1967 Anti Revolutionary Party
7th Hendrikus Colijn 1925–1926 / 1933-1939 Anti Revolutionary Party
Wim Schermerhorn 1945-1946 Labour Party
8th Piet de Jong 1967-1971 Catholic People's Party
9th Charles Ruijs de Beerenbrouck 1918–1925 / 1929-1933 Roman-Catholic State Party
Pieter Sjoerds Gerbrandy 1940-1945 Anti Revolutionary Party
Barend Biesheuvel 1971-1973 Anti Revolutionary Party
Dries van Agt 1977-1982 Christian Democratic Appeal
Worst Ranking Prime Minister Term Political party
1st Joop den Uyl 1973–1977 Labour Party
2nd Dirk Jan de Geer 1926–1929 / 1939-1940 Christian Historical Union
3rd Dries van Agt 1977-1982 Christian Democratic Appeal
4th Hendrikus Colijn 1925–1926 / 1933-1939 Anti Revolutionary Party
5th Ruud Lubbers 1982–1994 Christian Democratic Appeal
6th Victor Marijnen 1963-1965 Catholic People's Party
Wim Kok 1994-2002 Labour Party
7th Pieter Sjoerds Gerbrandy 1940-1945 Anti Revolutionary Party
Jan de Quay 1959-1963 Catholic People's Party
8th Wim Schermerhorn 1945-1946 Labour Party
Willem Drees 1948-1958 Labour Party
Jo Cals 1965-1966 Catholic People's Party
Barend Biesheuvel 1971-1973 Anti Revolutionary Party

See also

References

  1. ↑ (Dutch) NRC-enquête: Drees en Lubbers beste premiers sinds 1900, NRC Handelsblad, September 28, 2013
  2. ↑ (Dutch) Kiezers oneens met Rutte: niet beste kabinet sinds oorlog, BN DeStem, May 26, 2013
  3. ↑ (Dutch) Willem Drees gekozen tot ‘Dé premier na WO II’, Geschiedenis24.nl, January 15, 2006
  4. ↑ (Dutch) Kamerleden kiezen de beste en de slechtste minister-president van de twintigste eeu, Historischnieuwsblad.nl, February 2, 2002