The second Balkenende cabinet was the executive branch of the Government of the Netherlands from 27 May 2003 until 7 July 2006. The cabinet was formed by the Christian-democratic Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA),the conservative-liberal People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD),and the social-liberal Democrats 66 (D66) after the election of 2003. The cabinet was a centre-right coalition and had a slim majority in the House of Representatives with Christian Democratic Leader Jan Peter Balkenende serving as Prime Minister. Liberal Leader Gerrit Zalm,a former Minister of Finance,served as Deputy Prime Minister and returned as Minister of Finance,while former Progressive-Liberal Leader Thom de Graaf served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister without Portfolio for the Interior.
Alexander Pechtold is a retired Dutch politician and art historian. He is a member of Democrats 66.
Mark Rutte is a Dutch politician who has served as the 14th secretary-general of NATO since October 2024. He previously served as the prime minister of the Netherlands from 2010 to 2024,and as the leader of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) from 2006 to 2023. Serving a total of almost 14 years,Rutte is the longest-serving prime minister in Dutch history.
Edith Ingeborg Schippers is a Dutch politician of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) and businesswoman who served as President of DSM Netherlands between 2019 and 2023.
Frans Hubertus Henricus Weekers is a Dutch politician of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) and lawyer.
Wouter Koolmees is a Dutch economist and politician and of the Democrats 66 (D66) party who served as Minister of Social Affairs and Employment in the Third Rutte cabinet from 2017 to 2022. He also served as second Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 2019 to 2020 during Kajsa Ollongren's medical leave of absence. He is also the CEO of Nederlandse Spoorwegen.
Steven Peter Robert Albert Van Weyenberg is a Belgian-born Dutch politician of the social-liberal Democrats 66 (D66) party. He served on the House of Representatives and occupied several ministerial posts.
The second Rutte cabinet,also called the Rutte–Asscher cabinet,was the executive branch of the Government of the Netherlands from 5 November 2012 until 26 October 2017. The cabinet was formed by the conservative-liberal People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) and the social-democratic Labour Party (PvdA) after the election of 2012. The cabinet was a centrist grand coalition and had a slim majority in the House of Representatives. VVD Leader Mark Rutte served as Prime Minister;prominent PvdA politician Lodewijk Asscher,a former alderman of Amsterdam,served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Social Affairs and Employment.
Sigrid Agnes Maria Kaag is a Dutch politician,humanitarian and diplomat who is the UN Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza since 2024. Kaag most recently served in the fourth Rutte cabinet as First Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands and Minister of Finance from 2022 to 2024 and has previously served as Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation and Minister of Foreign Affairs. She was Leader of the Democrats 66 (D66) from 2020 to 2023.
Eric Derk Wiebes is a Dutch politician who served as Minister of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy in the Third Rutte cabinet since 26 October 2017 until 15 January 2021. He is a member of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD).
Jkvr. Karin Hildur "Kajsa" Ollongren is a Dutch-Swedish politician who served as Minister of Defence from 10 January 2022 to 2 July 2024. A member of the Democrats 66 (D66),she previously served as Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations and Deputy Prime Minister in the third Rutte cabinet (2017–2022),and briefly as Mayor of Amsterdam.
General elections were held in the Netherlands from 15 to 17 March 2021 to elect all 150 members of the House of Representatives. Following the elections and lengthy coalition formation talks,the sitting government remained in power.
The third Rutte cabinet was the cabinet of the Netherlands from 26 October 2017 until 10 January 2022. It was formed by a coalition government of the political parties People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD),Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA),Democrats 66 (D66) and Christian Union (CU) after the general election of 2017.
Rob Arnoldus Adrianus Jetten is a Dutch politician. He has been the Leader of the Democrats 66 (D66) party since August 2023 and a member of the House of Representatives since December 2023. He previously served as Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands from January 2024 to July 2024 and Minister for Climate and Energy Policy from 2022 to 2024.
Alexandra Carla van Huffelen is a Dutch politician of the Democrats 66 (D66) party.
Johannes Alexander "Hans" Vijlbrief is a Dutch civil servant,economist,and politician,currently serving as a member of parliament for the social-liberal party Democrats 66 (D66). He previously served as State Secretary for the Extractive Industries in the Fourth Rutte cabinet.
The Dutch childcare benefits scandal refers to a political scandal in the Netherlands involving false allegations of welfare fraud by the Tax and Customs Administration against thousands of families claiming childcare benefits.
Following the Dutch general election on 17 March 2021,a cabinet formation led to the establishment of the fourth Rutte cabinet in 2022. The coalition included the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD),Democrats 66 (D66),Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) and Christian Union (CU),the same parties from the preceding third Rutte cabinet. This formation process,lasting 299 days,was the longest formation in Dutch history.
Jan Maarten Paternotte is a Dutch politician of the Democrats 66 (D66). He has been a member of the House of Representatives since 23 March 2017,and he served as his party's parliamentary leader from January 2022 until December 2023.
Fleur Quirine Gräper-van Koolwijk is a Dutch politician of the Democrats 66 (D66),who served as State Secretary for Culture and Media from January 2024 until July 2024.
