The cabinet served during the early unstable 2000s. Domestically, it had to deal with the fallout of the assassination of Pim Fortuyn, and internationally, with the start of the war on terror. The cabinet suffered several major internal conflicts including multiple cabinet resignations. The internal conflicts between the cabinet members of the Pim Fortuyn List led to the fall of the cabinet just 87 days into its term on 16 October 2002 and it continued in a demissionary capacity until it was replaced following the election of 2003.[1]
On 17 May 2002 Queen Beatrix appointed Member of the Council of StatePiet Hein Donner (CDA) as "informer", to investigate the possibilities for a new government. A coalition between CDA, LPF and VVD was established relatively quickly, despite some initial resistance by the VVD. By 4 July a detailed coalition agreement had been drawn up and the Queen appointed Jan Peter Balkenende, the lijsttrekker for the CDA, to form a new cabinet. The cabinet was named on 16 July and was sworn in on 22 July. The first Balkenende cabinet comprised 14 ministers and 14 State Secretaries, with each post allocated to one of the coalition parties. Each of the ministers headed a department, with the exception of one "minister without a portfolio" to deal with "foreigners policy and integration", accommodated by the Ministry of Justice.
Term
Incidents and scandals
The first Balkenende cabinet was very unstable from the beginning. Elections had been held in the very recent aftermath of the assassination of Pim Fortuyn, the leader of the newly established Pim Fortuyn List. Emotions in the Netherlands had run very high. The LPF was catapulted into enormous wins, but was unprepared for cabinet participation.
Only three of the 27 cabinet members had previous experience in government, leading to speculation that it wouldn't last long. As it turned out, personality conflicts and the general inexperience of LPF cabinet members led to the rapid implosion of the cabinet after a little more than two months.
Resignation of State Secretary Bijlhout
The first scandal in the new government came only nine hours after it took office. Philomena Bijlhout, the State Secretary for Social Affairs and Employment and a member of the LPF, resigned after RTL 4 reported that she had been a member of a militia of Surinamese military dictator Dési Bouterse in 1982 and 1983. This was during the period when the militia had committed the political murders known as the "December Murders". Bijlhout, who was born in Suriname, had never denied being part of the militia, but claimed she'd left prior to the December Murders.[2]
Power struggles within the LPF and resignation of the cabinet
In the months following the election, the LPF was beset by power struggles between various factions. A big incident was when Immigration and Integration Minister Hilbrand Nawijn declared to be in favour of the death penalty. The cabinet was officially opposed to the death penalty. Nawijn responded that he made his remark as leader of the LPF. The party in its turn declared that it was opposed to the death penalty. Nawijn was highly criticised when he declared that it was a personal remark, because it was normal that a minister in a coalition cabinet could make remarks as a party member outside his ministerial responsibility.
In September and October Herman Heinsbroek speculated in public about leading a new party and resigning from the government. This led to tension between him and his supporter Steven van Eyck and Bomhoff. VVD-leader Zalm tried to convince the LPF ministers to replace both Bomhoff and Heinsbroek but his real aim was to use these resignations to call for new elections and to repair the huge losses of his VVD party in the election after the murder of Fortuyn. Disregarding Bomhoff's warnings, the other LPF ministers took the bait and told Bomhoff and Heinsbroek to resign, which they did on 16 October. Immediately, Zalm broke his commitment to the remaining LPF ministers to accept replacements for Bomhoff and Heinsbroek and called for fresh elections. Meetings with the Queen did not take place until the week after the resignation, since she had travelled to Italy immediately after the funeral. On 21 October she accepted the resignation and new elections were called for 22 January 2003. The cabinet remained in place as a demissionary cabinet, without Bomhoff and Heinsbroek, until the elections and formation of the second Balkenende cabinet.
On 12 December 2002 Benk Korthals resigned as caretaker Minister of Defence after a commission of inquiry into building industry fraud accused him of giving false information to the Lower House during the previous cabinet. After resigning he said he still denied the allegations.
After the ensuing new elections, the LPF lost two-thirds of its seats in the House of Representatives. The party was never a significant force in Dutch politics again, and dissolved in 2008.
The term of 87 days (counting the first and last days in full and excluding its "caretaker" function that continued for months afterwards) was the shortest since the fifth cabinet of Hendrikus Colijn (25 July 1939 – 10 August 1939).
Actions
Revoking a planned ban on mink farming initiated by the previous cabinet.[3]
Cuts to Ad Melkert's subsidised jobs scheme, the Melkertbanen.
Removal of price controls on certain popular medical interventions (knee and hip operations, cataract operations) in an effort to reduce waiting lists.
Reorganisation of defence, including budget cuts and the termination of 4800 jobs.[4]
(in Dutch) Kabinet-Balkenende I Parlement & Politiek
(in Dutch) Kabinet Balkenende I Rijksoverheid
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May 10, 2023
first, balkenende, cabinet, first, balkenende, cabinet, executive, branch, netherlands, government, from, july, 2002, until, 2003, cabinet, formed, christian, democratic, christian, democratic, appeal, nationalistic, fortuyn, list, conservative, liberal, peopl. The first Balkenende cabinet was the executive branch of the Netherlands government from 22 July 2002 until 27 May 2003 The cabinet was formed by the Christian democratic Christian Democratic Appeal CDA the nationalistic Pim Fortuyn List LPF and the conservative liberal People s Party for Freedom and Democracy VVD after the election of 2002 The cabinet was a right wing coalition and had a substantial majority in the House of Representatives with Christian Democratic Leader Jan Peter Balkenende serving as Prime Minister Prominent economist Eduard Bomhoff served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Health Welfare and Sport while prominent Liberal politician Johan Remkes served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations First Balkenende cabinet64th Cabinet of the NetherlandsThe installation of the first Balkenende cabinet on 22 July 2002Date formed22 July 2002 2002 07 22 Date dissolved27 May 2003 2003 05 27 Demissionary from 16 October 2002 2002 10 16 People and organisationsMonarchQueen BeatrixPrime MinisterJan Peter BalkenendeDeputy Prime MinisterEduard Bomhoff 2002 Johan Remkes Roelf de Boer 2002 2003 No of ministers14Ministers removed3Total no of members14Member partyChristian Democratic Appeal CDA Pim Fortuyn List LPF People s Party for Freedom and Democracy VVD Status in legislatureRight wing Majority governmentHistoryElection s 2002 electionOutgoing election2003 electionLegislature term s 2002 2003Incoming formation2002 formationOutgoing formation2003 formationPredecessorSecond Kok cabinetSuccessorSecond Balkenende cabinetThe cabinet served during the early unstable 2000s Domestically it had to deal with the fallout of the assassination of Pim Fortuyn and internationally with the start of the war on terror The cabinet suffered several major internal conflicts including multiple cabinet resignations The internal conflicts between the cabinet members of the Pim Fortuyn List led to the fall of the cabinet just 87 days into its term on 16 October 2002 and it continued in a demissionary capacity until it was replaced following the election of 2003 1 Contents 1 Formation 2 Term 2 1 Incidents and scandals 2 2 Resignation of State Secretary Bijlhout 2 3 Power struggles within the LPF and resignation of the cabinet 2 4 Actions 3 Cabinet members 4 References 5 External linksFormation EditOn 17 May 2002 Queen Beatrix appointed Member of the Council of State Piet Hein Donner CDA as informer to investigate the possibilities for a new government A coalition between CDA LPF and VVD was established relatively quickly despite some initial resistance by the VVD By 4 July a detailed coalition agreement had been drawn up and the Queen appointed Jan Peter Balkenende the lijsttrekker for the CDA to form a new cabinet The cabinet was named on 16 July and was sworn in on 22 July The first Balkenende cabinet comprised 14 ministers and 14 State Secretaries with each post allocated to one of the coalition parties Each of the ministers headed a department with the exception of one minister without a portfolio to deal with foreigners policy and integration accommodated by the Ministry of Justice Term EditIncidents and scandals Edit The first Balkenende cabinet was very unstable from the beginning Elections had been held in the very recent aftermath of the assassination of Pim Fortuyn the leader of the newly established Pim Fortuyn List Emotions in the Netherlands had run very high The LPF was catapulted into enormous wins but was unprepared for cabinet participation Only three of the 27 cabinet members had previous experience in government leading to speculation that it wouldn t last long As it turned out personality conflicts and the general inexperience of LPF cabinet members led to the rapid implosion of the cabinet after a little more than two months Resignation of State Secretary Bijlhout Edit The first scandal in the new government came only nine hours after it took office Philomena Bijlhout the State Secretary for Social Affairs and Employment and a member of the LPF resigned after RTL 4 reported that she had been a member of a militia of Surinamese military dictator Desi Bouterse in 1982 and 1983 This was during the period when the militia had committed the political murders known as the December Murders Bijlhout who was born in Suriname had never denied being part of the militia but claimed she d left prior to the December Murders 2 Power struggles within the LPF and resignation of the cabinet Edit In the months following the election the LPF was beset by power struggles between various factions A big incident was when Immigration and Integration Minister Hilbrand Nawijn declared to be in favour of the death penalty The cabinet was officially opposed to the death penalty Nawijn responded that he made his remark as leader of the LPF The party in its turn declared that it was opposed to the death penalty Nawijn was highly criticised when he declared that it was a personal remark because it was normal that a minister in a coalition cabinet could make remarks as a party member outside his ministerial responsibility In September and October Herman Heinsbroek speculated in public about leading a new party and resigning from the government This led to tension between him and his supporter Steven van Eyck and Bomhoff VVD leader Zalm tried to convince the LPF ministers to replace both Bomhoff and Heinsbroek but his real aim was to use these resignations to call for new elections and to repair the huge losses of his VVD party in the election after the murder of Fortuyn Disregarding Bomhoff s warnings the other LPF ministers took the bait and told Bomhoff and Heinsbroek to resign which they did on 16 October Immediately Zalm broke his commitment to the remaining LPF ministers to accept replacements for Bomhoff and Heinsbroek and called for fresh elections Meetings with the Queen did not take place until the week after the resignation since she had travelled to Italy immediately after the funeral On 21 October she accepted the resignation and new elections were called for 22 January 2003 The cabinet remained in place as a demissionary cabinet without Bomhoff and Heinsbroek until the elections and formation of the second Balkenende cabinet On 12 December 2002 Benk Korthals resigned as caretaker Minister of Defence after a commission of inquiry into building industry fraud accused him of giving false information to the Lower House during the previous cabinet After resigning he said he still denied the allegations After the ensuing new elections the LPF lost two thirds of its seats in the House of Representatives The party was never a significant force in Dutch politics again and dissolved in 2008 The term of 87 days counting the first and last days in full and excluding its caretaker function that continued for months afterwards was the shortest since the fifth cabinet of Hendrikus Colijn 25 July 1939 10 August 1939 Actions Edit Revoking a planned ban on mink farming initiated by the previous cabinet 3 Approval of an expansion of the European Union Support for the United States in its plan to invade Iraq Cuts to Ad Melkert s subsidised jobs scheme the Melkertbanen Removal of price controls on certain popular medical interventions knee and hip operations cataract operations in an effort to reduce waiting lists Reorganisation of defence including budget cuts and the termination of 4800 jobs 4 Reduction of spending on public transport by 39 million euros 5 Cuts to the budgets of most government departments countered by increased spending in health and some other areas Gambian Secretary of State for Economic Affairs Famara Jatta and State Secretary Agnes van Ardenne at the International Monetary Fund in Washington D C on 28 September 2002 Minister Jaap de Hoop Scheffer and United States Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz at The Pentagon on 1 May 2003 Ambassador to the United States Boudewijn van Eenennaam Minister Jaap de Hoop Scheffer and United States Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz at The Pentagon on 1 May 2003 Cabinet members EditMinisters Title Ministry Portfolio s Term of office Party Dr Jan Peter Balkenende born 1956 Prime Minister General Affairs 22 July 2002 14 October 2010 Continued Christian Democratic Appeal Johan Remkes born 1951 Deputy Prime Minister Interior and Kingdom Relations 22 July 2002 27 May 2003 People s Party for Freedom and DemocracyMinister 22 July 2002 22 February 2007 Continued Dr Eduard Bomhoff born 1944 Minister Health Welfare and Sport 22 July 2002 16 October 2002 Res Pim Fortuyn ListDeputy Prime Minister Roelf de Boer born 1949 Transport and Water Management 18 October 2002 27 May 2003 Pim Fortuyn ListMinister 22 July 2002 27 May 2003 Jaap de Hoop Scheffer born 1948 Minister Foreign Affairs 22 July 2002 3 December 2003 Continued Christian Democratic Appeal Hans Hoogervorst born 1956 Minister Finance 22 July 2002 27 May 2003 People s Party for Freedom and DemocracyMinister Economic Affairs 16 October 2002 27 May 2003 Acting Piet Hein Donner born 1948 Minister Justice 22 July 2002 21 September 2006 Continued Christian Democratic Appeal Herman Heinsbroek born 1951 Minister Economic Affairs 22 July 2002 16 October 2002 Res Pim Fortuyn List Benk Korthals born 1944 Minister Defence 22 July 2002 12 December 2002 Res People s Party for Freedom and Democracy Henk Kamp born 1952 12 December 2002 22 February 2007 Continued People s Party for Freedom and DemocracyMinister Housing Spatial Planning and the Environment 22 July 2002 27 May 2003 Aart Jan de Geus born 1955 Minister Health Welfare and Sport 16 October 2002 27 May 2003 Acting Christian Democratic AppealMinister Social Affairs and Employment 22 July 2002 22 February 2007 Continued Maria van der Hoeven born 1949 Minister Education Culture and Science 22 July 2002 22 February 2007 Continued Christian Democratic Appeal Dr Cees Veerman born 1949 Minister Agriculture Nature and Fisheries 22 July 2002 1 July 2003 Continued Christian Democratic AppealMinister without portfolio Title Ministry Portfolio s Term of office Party Hilbrand Nawijn born 1948 Minister Justice Immigration and Asylum Integration Minorities 22 July 2002 27 May 2003 Pim Fortuyn ListState Secretaries Title Ministry Portfolio s Term of office Party Rob Hessing born 1942 State Secretary Interior and Kingdom Relations Public Security Emergency Services Emergency Management 22 July 2002 27 May 2003 Pim Fortuyn List Agnes van Ardenne born 1950 State Secretary Title Foreign Affairs Development Cooperation 22 July 2002 27 May 2003 Christian Democratic Appeal Atzo Nicolai 1960 2020 European Union Benelux 22 July 2002 7 July 2006 Continued People s Party for Freedom and Democracy Steven van Eijck born 1959 State Secretary Finance Fiscal Policy Tax and Customs Governmental Budget 22 July 2002 27 May 2003 Pim Fortuyn List Joop Wijn born 1969 State Secretary Economic Affairs Trade and Export Consumer Protection Telecommunication Postal Service Tourism 22 July 2002 27 May 2003 Christian Democratic Appeal Cees van der Knaap born 1951 State Secretary Defence Human Resources Equipment 22 July 2002 18 December 2007 Continued Christian Democratic Appeal Clemence Ross van Dorp born 1957 State Secretary Health Welfare and Sport Elderly Care Youth Care Disability Policy Medical Ethics Sport 22 July 2002 22 February 2007 Continued Christian Democratic Appeal Mark Rutte born 1967 State Secretary Social Affairs and Employment Social Security Unemployment Occupational Safety Social Services 22 July 2002 17 June 2004 Continued People s Party for Freedom and Democracy Philomena Bijlhout born 1957 Family policy Equality Emancipation 22 July 2002 24 July 2002 Res Pim Fortuyn ListKhee Liang Phoa born 1955 9 September 2002 27 May 2003 Pim Fortuyn List Annette Nijs born 1961 State Secretary Education Culture and Science Higher Education Adult Education Science Policy 22 July 2002 9 June 2004 Continued People s Party for Freedom and Democracy Cees van Leeuwen born 1951 Media Culture Art 22 July 2002 27 May 2003 Pim Fortuyn List Melanie Schultz van Haegen born 1970 State Secretary Transport and Water Management Public Infrastructure Public Transport Aviation Rail Transport Water Management Weather Forecasting 22 July 2002 22 February 2007 Continued People s Party for Freedom and DemocracyJan Odink 1944 2018 State Secretary Agriculture Nature and Fisheries Fisheries Forestry Animal Welfare 22 July 2002 27 May 2003 Pim Fortuyn List Pieter van Geel born 1951 State Secretary Housing Spatial Planning and the Environment Environmental Policy 22 July 2002 22 February 2007 Continued Christian Democratic AppealResigned Continued in the next cabinet Acting Designated with the diplomatic rank of MinisterReferences Edit LPF in Dutch Andere Tijden 16 November 2006 Retrieved 11 August 2017 Dutch minister resigns within hours BBC News Tuesday 23 July 2002 Telegraaf 2002 10 10 www regering nl 2002 12 02 www regering nl 2002 11 19External links EditOfficial in Dutch Kabinet Balkenende I Parlement amp Politiek in Dutch Kabinet Balkenende I Rijksoverheid Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cabinet Balkenende I Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title First Balkenende cabinet amp oldid 1150184031, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
