Hans Dijkstal

Henri Frans "Hans" Dijkstal (28 February 1943 – 9 May 2010) was a Dutch politician of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD).

Dijkstal a financial adviser by occupation, was elected as a Member of the House of Representatives on 11 November 1982 after the Dutch general election of 1982, serving until 3 June 1986 and from 30 July 1986 until 22 August 1994. After the Dutch general election of 1994 he became Minister of the Interior and Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands in the Cabinet Kok I. After the Dutch general election of 1998 incumbent Party leader of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy Frits Bolkestein announced his retirement and Dijkstal was elected his successor. He returned to the House of Representatives on 19 May 1998 and became the Parliamentary leader of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy in the House of Representatives and the Party leaders of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy on 30 July 1998. For the Dutch general election of 2002 he was the lijsttrekker (top candidate), Dijkstal and Ad Melkert the Party leader of the Labour Party were the front runners to become the next Prime Minister, but the unexpected arrival of Pim Fortuyn of Livable Netherlands (LN) and later the Pim Fortuyn List (LPF), turned the polls. Fortuyn blamed the problems in the country on the Purple cabinets (in which both Dijkstal and Melkert served as ministers). Fortuyn depicted Dijkstal and Melkert as two bureaucrats who didn't understand the feelings and problems among the population. After a heated campaign a mere days before the election, Fortuyn was assassinated in Hilversum. The People's Party for Freedom and Democracy suffered a big defeat in the election losing fourteen seats, Dijkstal accepted responsibility for the defeat and sequentially left national politics. He resigned 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 on 16 May 2002 and gave up his seat in the House of Representatives on 1 September 2002.^[1]

Biography

Early life

Dijkstal was born in Port Said, Egypt, where his father and grandfather worked in shipping. He was able to speak fluent Arabic before moving to the Netherlands at age five. He made a career as financial advisor, taught management courses, and was council member for the city of Wassenaar and an alderman.

Politics

In 1982 he was first elected to the House of Representatives. He took over the leadership of the VVD faction from Frits Bolkestein in 1998. Dijkstal was the lijsttrekker for the VVD party in the 2002 parliamentary elections, that turned out disastrous for the party. Afterwards, he retired from active politics. But when his former party started taking a heavy stance on 'allochtonen' (immigrants and their children) he teamed up with former politicians from a wide range of other parties in protest, to strive for a more tolerant society, under the name "Een Land Een Samenleving" ('One Country One Society').^[2]

Family

On 29 July 1966 he married Anneke Dijkstal and became the father of two daughters.^[3]

Personal

Furthermore, he was a fan and admirer of Star Trek.^[4] Hans Dijkstal died on 9 May 2010 after a long fight against bone cancer, he was 67.^[5][6]

Decorations

Honours
	Officer of the Order of Oranje-Nassau	Netherlands	30 October 1998

References

External links

Official

• (Dutch) H.F. (Hans) Dijkstal Parlement & Politiek

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hans Dijkstal.

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 Blok Plasterk