Hans Wiegel

Hans Wiegel (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈhɑns ˈʋiɣəl]; born 16 July 1941) is a retired Dutch politician of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD).

Wiegel a corporate director by occupation, was elected as a Member of the House of Representatives on 18 April 1967 after the Dutch general election of 1967. After the Dutch general election of 1971 the Leader of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy and Parliamentary leader in the House of Representatives Molly Geertsema became Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior in the Cabinet Biesheuvel I, Wiegel was chosen to succeed him in both positions. He became youngest Leader of a political party in Netherlands ever at the age of just twenty-nine on 1 July 1971. Wiegel became the Parliamentary leader of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy in the House of Representatives on 20 July 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 a coalition agreement with the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) was made which formed the Cabinet Van Agt-Wiegel. Wiegel became Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior serving from 19 December 1977 until 11 September 1981. For the Dutch general election of 1981 Wiegel again as Lijsttrekker lost two seats and he returned as the Parliamentary leader of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy in the House of Representatives and a Member of the House of Representatives serving 25 August 1981 until 20 April 1982 when he announced his departure from national politics to become the Queen's Commissioner of Friesland. Wiegel was succeeded as Leader of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy and Parliamentary leader of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy in the House of Representatives by his chosen successor Ed Nijpels. Wiegel served as Queen's Commissioner of Friesland from 16 June 1982 until 1 February 1994. After the Dutch Senate election of 1995, Wiegel became a Member of the Senate serving from 13 June 1995, until 1 April 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. Following the end of his active political career, Wiegel occupied occupied numerous seats on supervisory boards in the business and industry world and several international non-governmental organizations (ABN AMRO, Staatsbosbeheer, Energy Research Centre of the Netherlands, Achmea, Ronald McDonald House Charities, VNO-NCW, Beer Trade association and the Healthcare Trade association).

Wiegel is known for his wit and anecdotes. His abilities as a debater with candidness and humour were greatly admired. Wiegel continues to comment on political affairs as an statesman.^[1]

Early life

Hans Wiegel was born on 16 July 1941 in Amsterdam in the Province of North Holland in a secular family as the only son of Wilhelm Wiegel III (born 21 March 1913) in Amsterdam and Sophia Maria Alberdina Smolenaars (born 3 November 1915) in Cimahi in the Dutch East Indies. 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 Social Science 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 served as Chairmen from 1965 until 1966.

Politics

In 1967 Wiegel was elected as a Member of the House of Representatives. In 1971, 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-Wiegel, in this cabinet he became Minister of the Interior and Deputy Prime Minister, Wiegel prepared the constitutional revision of 1983.

Hans Wiegel as a Member of the House of Representatives in 1968.

Hans Wiegel as 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 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. 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 16 June 1982 until 1 February 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.

Comeback (or not)

On the evening of 6 May 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.^[2][3]

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.^[4]

On 22 November 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.^[5]

Thirty 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.^[6][7]

On 12 April 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.^[8] On 29 May 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".^[9][10]

Personal

Wiegel married his first wife Jacqueline Francina "Pien" Frederiks (born 9 September 1954) on June 1, 1973. He had two children with her, Erik (born 1975) and Marieke (born 1977). On 6 November 1980 tragedy struck when Pien Frederiks died of complications from suffering a car crash, she was twenty-six years old. She left her two young children behind Erik (five) and Marieke (three). On 7 April 1982 Wiegel quietly remarried to his late wife's older sister Marianne Frederiks (born 21 September 1951). On 6 January 2005 tragedy struck again for the now sixty-three-year-old Wiegel when, in an sad twist of fate, Marianne Frederiks died in a car crash at the age of fifty-three. From 2006 until 2010 Wiegel had a relation with Madelon Spoor. Wiegel currently lives in a farm in Oudega, a small town in the municipality Súdwest-Fryslân in the Province of Friesland, he also owns a Pied-à-terre in The Hague.

Decorations

Honours
Ribbon bar	Honour	Country	Date	Comment
	Knight of the Order of the Netherlands Lion	Netherlands	26 October 1981
	Grand Officer of the Order of Oranje-Nassau	Netherlands	20 January 1994	Elevated from Commander (28 April 1989)
	Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown	Belgium
	Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Civil Merit	Spain

References

External links

Official

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

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hans Wiegel.

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

Ministers of the Interior of the Netherlands Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations Luzac De Kempenaer Thorbecke Van Reenen Simons Van Rappard 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