Second Kok cabinet

Second Kok cabinet in 1998

The Second cabinet of Wim Kok was the government of the Netherlands headed by Prime Minister Wim Kok during 1998 to 2002.

After the elections to the House of Representatives on 6 May 1998, the allocation of the 150 seats was:

ChristenUnie was formed from the combination of two parties, GPV and RPF, which had contested the elections separately.

The new cabinet was the successor of the first cabinet of Wim Kok and was formed from the same coalition of PvdA, VVD and D66. It was also known as the 'tweede paarse kabinet' ('second purple cabinet') called such because it contained both the social-democratic PvdA (red) and the liberal VVD (blue). The aim of the cabinet was to continue the policy of cabinet Kok I, which was concerned with economizing, tax reduction and making an end to unemployment. Wim Kok was the prime minister, Annemarie Jorritsma as the vice-prime minister for the VVD, and Els Borst for D66. The cabinet was considered boring, because both left-wing and right-wing political parties were a part of it. There was no strong opposition in the parliament.

The cabinet completed processes of liberalisation which were started by the previous cabinet: the legalisation of prostitution in 2000, same-sex marriage in 2001 and Euthanasia in 2002.

This cabinet was notable for resigning twice. The first time was in May 1999, when D66 stepped out of the coalition when proposed legislation entered by this party was blocked; through negotiations the crisis was solved and the cabinet stayed together. The second and final time was on 16 April 2002, just one month before the next election, when prime minister Kok wished to resign over the NIOD report into the genocide of Srebrenica in 1995 and the other ministers had no choice but to follow him. The Second Kok cabinet remained in place as a caretaker cabinet until 22 July 2002, when it was replaced by the first Balkenende cabinet.

Ministers

State Secretaries

See also State Secretary (Netherlands) for a detailed description of the function.

• Foreign Affairs: Dick Benschop (PvdA)
• Justice
  • Job Cohen (PvdA), resigned December 31, 2000
  • Ella Kalsbeek, 2 januari 2001
• Interior and Kingdom Affairs Gijs de Vries (VVD)
• Education, Culture and Sciences
  • Karin Adelmund (PvdA)
  • Rick van der Ploeg (PvdA)
• Finance
  • Willem Vermeend (PvdA), resigned March 24, 2000
  • Wouter Bos (PvdA), from March 24, 2000
• Defense: Henk van Hoof (VVD)
• Housing, Spatial Planning and Environment: Johan Remkes (VVD)
• Transport and Water Monique de Vries (VVD)
• Economy Gerrit Ybema (D66)
• Agriculture, Nature Management and Fishery Geke Faber (PvdA)
• Social Affairs and Employment
  • Hans Hoogervorst (VVD)
  • Annelies Verstand (D66)
• Public health, Wellbeing and Sports: Margo Vliegenthart (PvdA)

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cabinet Kok II.

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