Gert-Jan Oplaat | |
|---|---|
 Oplaat in 2005 | |
| Member of the Senate | |
| Assumed office 13 June 2023 | |
| Member of the House of Representatives | |
| In office 19 May 1998 –23 May 2002 | |
| In office 26 July 2002 –30 November 2006 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 22 November 1964 Markelo,Netherlands |
| Political party | |
| Occupation |
|
Gert-Jan Oplaat (born 22 November 1964) is a Dutch politician.
After secondary education he became a member of an agricultural family business. [1] In 1994 he protested against the national manure and ammonia policies. [1]
In 1989 he joined the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD). [1] Between 1994 and 1998 he was a municipal councillor in Markelo.
He was elected in the 1998 general election. [1] He was his party's spokesman for agriculture. [1] In 2004 he presented a pamphlet arguing for a more right-conservative course, together with Geert Wilders. [1] His place on the candidate list was too low to be re-elected in the 2006 general election.
After leaving parliament he became a consultant, administrator in branche organisations and chairman of the regional chamber of commerce. [1]
Until 2014 he was chairman of the VVD provincial branch in Overijssel.
In 2022 he left the VVD because of discontent about its policies during the nitrogen crisis. [2] After being contacted by multiple parties, he joined the agrarian Farmer–Citizen Movement (BBB). [3] Oplaat was placed third on the BBB's candidate list for the 2023 Senate election and was elected, taking office on 13 June 2023.
Oplaat is married. He performs as a cabaretier and singer. [1] He is a Knight in the Order of Orange-Nassau and a member of the Protestant Church in the Netherlands.
 |
| Year | Body | Party | Pos. | Votes | Result | Ref. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party seats | Individual | |||||||
| 1998 | House of Representatives | VVD | 36 | 3,712 | 38 | Won | ||
| 2002 | House of Representatives | VVD | 27 | 2,672 | 24 | Lost | ||
| 2003 | House of Representatives | VVD | 23 | 3,219 | 28 | Won | ||
| 2006 | House of Representatives | VVD | 26 | 2,601 | 22 | Lost | ||
| 2023 | Senate | BBB | 3 | 16 | Won | |||
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Senate 13 June 2023 – present | ||
| Farmer–Citizen Movement (BBB – 16) |  | |
| GroenLinks–Labour Party (GL–PvdA – 14) | ||
| People's Party for Freedom and Dem. (VVD – 10) | ||
| Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA – 6) | ||
| Democrats 66 (D66 – 5) | ||
| Party for Freedom (PVV – 4) | ||
| Party for the Animals (PvdD – 3) | ||
| JA21 (JA21 – 3) | ||
| Socialist Party (SP – 3) | ||
| Christian Union (SP – 3) | ||
| Forum for Democracy (FvD – 2) | ||
| Volt Netherlands (Volt – 2) | ||
| Reformed Political Party (SGP – 2) | ||
| 50PLUS (50+ – 1) | ||
| Independent Politics Netherlands (OPNL – 1) | ||
Bold indicates the parliamentary leader (first mentioned) and the President; (Brackets) indicate a temporarily absent member; Italics indicate a temporary member; ‹Guillemets› indicate a member who has left the Senate See also: Members of the House of Representatives of the Netherlands, 2021–2023 · 2023–present | ||
