The Leader of the Christian Union is the most senior politician within the Christian Union (Dutch : ChristenUnie, CU) in the Netherlands. The post is currently held by Mirjam Bikker, who succeeded Gert-Jan Segers in 2023. [1]
The Leader of the Christian Union is the most senior politician within the Christian Union (Dutch : ChristenUnie, CU) in the Netherlands. The post is currently held by Mirjam Bikker, who succeeded Gert-Jan Segers in 2023. [1]
The Leaders outwardly act as the 'figurehead' and the main representative of the party. Within the party, they must ensure political consensus. At election time the Leader is always the Lijsttrekker (top candidate) of the party list. Outside election time the Leader can serve as the Opposition leader. In the Christian Union the Leader is often the Parliamentary leader in the House of Representatives. One Christian Union leader became a Minister in a Cabinet.
The Christian Union doesn't have an official designated Deputy Leader in the party's hierarchy but some are given the title as an unofficial description by the media. Because of the often unofficial nature of the position, reliable sources can sometimes differ over who the deputy actually is or was.
| Deputy Leader | Term of office | Position(s) as Deputy Leader | Leader(s) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Arie Slob (born 1961) | 30 January 2003 – 28 April 2011 (8 years, 88 days) [1] | Member of the House of Representatives (2002–2015) Parliamentary leader in the House of Representatives (2007–2010) | André Rouvoet | ||
| Not in use (28 April 2011 – 10 November 2015) | ||||||
 | Carola Schouten (born 1977) | 10 November 2015 – Incumbent (7 years, 245 days) [2] | Member of the House of Representatives (2011–2017) Deputy Prime Minister (since 2017) Minister of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality (since 2017) | Gert-Jan Segers | ||
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