Laurence Stassen

Laurence Stassen
MEP
Member of the European Parliament
for the Netherlands
In office
July 14, 2009 – July 1, 2014
Personal details
Born Laurence J.A.J. Stassen
February 8, 1971
Sittard, Netherlands
Nationality Dutch
Political party Independent
Other political
affiliations		 Party for Freedom (2009-2014)
An Independence from Europe (2014- )
For the Netherlands (2014- )
Residence Echt, Netherlands
Occupation Vice-chair of the PVV EU group 2009-2014
Chair of PVV limburg 2011- June 2012
Freelance journalist
Religion Roman Catholic
Website L.J.A.J. (Laurence) Stassen at www.parlement.com

Laurence Stassen (born 8 February 1971, Sittard) is a Dutch Independent politician and a former freelance television presenter of the regional broadcasting TV Limburg. There she presented the program sponsored Limburg leeft (translated: Limburg lives) about residency and life in Limburg.[1]

For the European Parliament elections in 2009 Stassen was ranked as the fourth candidate for the Party for Freedom (PVV). In itself an electable position - the PVV won four seats - but the lower-ranking party leader Geert Wilders was elected by preference votes. Wilders however, had already declared to remain in the House of Representatives of the Netherlands, so Stassen could take office as a Member of the European Parliament on July 14, 2009.

On December 10, 2010 it was announced that the 2011 provincial elections Stassen would run for PVV party leader in the province of Limburg. She was elected and retained her membership of the European Parliament.[2][3][4] On March 21, 2014 she left the PVV after allegedly discriminatory remarks by Geert Wilders about Moroccans.[5] She will stay on until the European Parliament elections in May, she did however immediately leave the States-Provincial in Limburg, returning her seat to the Party for Freedom.[6]

Stassen was standing in the 2014 European elections for South East England in the UK as the number one candidate for Eurosceptic party An Independence from Europe.[7][8] She didn't gain sufficient votes however to be re-elected into the European Parliament.

In December 2014, Stassen announced she joined the party For the Netherlands, which had been founded by two fellow former PVV members earlier that year.[9]

Laurence Stassen is married with two children. She is living in Echt.

References

  1. ↑ Limburg Leeft TV Limburg leeft!, 28 mei 2009
  2. ↑ Laurence Stassen lijsttrekker PVV Limburg de Volkskrant, 10 december 2010
  3. ↑ PVV wil in Limburg meebesturen De Telegraaf, 10 december 2010
  4. ↑ PVV gaat ervoor in Limburg SpitsNieuws, 10 december 2010
  5. ↑ Ook Europarlementariër Stassen verlaat PVV, Nu.nl, March 21, 2014
  6. ↑ "Laurence Stassen verlaat de PVV" (in Dutch). NOS. 22 March 2014. Retrieved 6 May 2014.
  7. ↑ http://www.laurencestassen.eu/
  8. ↑ http://www.laurencestassen.eu/index.php/2012-02-22-16-58-26
  9. ↑ "Stassen terug in politiek". PowNed (in Dutch). 29 December 2014. Retrieved 7 January 2015.

External links