On 14 December 2023, the House of Representatives of the Netherlands elected its Speaker for the 2023–2028 term. The election was held three weeks after the 2023 general election. Incumbent Speaker Vera Bergkamp ( D66) retired from politics.

Martin Bosma Martin Bosma (born 16 July 1964) is a Dutch politician and former journalist serving as a member of the House of Representatives for the Party for Freedom (PVV) since 30 November 2006 and as Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives since 2 ...

of the

Party for Freedom The Party for Freedom ( nl, Partij voor de Vrijheid, PVV) is a nationalist, right-wing populist political party in the Netherlands. Founded in 2006 as the successor to Geert Wilders' one-man faction in the House of Representatives, it won nine ...

was elected in the second round with 75 votes.

Candidates

Two members of the House of Representatives declared their candidacy. On 8 December, 59 year old

Tom van der Lee Tom or TOM may refer to: * Tom (given name), a diminutive of Thomas or Tomás or an independent Aramaic given name (and a list of people with the name) Characters * Tom Anderson, a character in ''Beavis and Butt-Head'' * Tom Beck, a character ...

, a member of the

GroenLinks–PvdA GroenLinks–PvdA (), alternatively PvdA–GroenLinks, or GreenLeft–Labour in English, is an alliance between GroenLinks (GL) and the Labour Party (PvdA) in the Netherlands. The political alliance was founded at the national level by party l ...

group, became the first to announce his candidacy for the speakership. In his public application letter, he expressed his desire to bridge the gap between citizens and politicians and enhance the legislative process. He also cited his impartial unifying leadership, having worked as campaign director of Oxfam Novib and head of information of GroenLinks. Van der Lee, who has been a member of the House of Representatives since 2017, rose to prominence as chairman of the

parliamentary inquiry into natural gas extraction Groningen The parliamentary inquiry into natural gas extraction Groningen ( nl, Parlementaire enquête naar aardgaswinning Groningen) was a parliamentary inquiry by the Dutch House of Representatives between 2021 and 2023 and was investigating the natural g ...

. On 10 December, 59 year old

, a member of the

(PVV) group, announced his candidacy for the speakership, having previously been a candidate in

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and

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...

. Bosma has been a member of the House of Representatives since 2006, and a deputy speaker since 2010. In this capacity, he has chaired many parliamentary debates, and he is praised for his tight chairmanship. However, there are also concerns about his polarising politics and his failure to distance himself from his party leader Geert Wilders' past statements. Acting speaker Roelien Kamminga ( VVD) was also seen as a potential candidate, but declined to stand for election.

Procedure

The newly elected House of Representatives settled on a profile for the next Speaker on 6 December 2023. Members could apply for the position until 12 December. The voting took place on 14 December, in two rounds. Voting took place by

secret ballot The secret ballot, also known as the Australian ballot, is a voting method in which a voter's identity in an election or a referendum is anonymous. This forestalls attempts to influence the voter by intimidation, blackmailing, and potential vote ...

Results

, a member of the

, was elected in the second round with 75 votes.

References

{{Reflist Speaker of the House of Representatives + December 2023 events in the Netherlands