Biography
Bijlhout worked in television broadcasting in Suriname and later in the Netherlands. She was editor-in-chief and a presenter for RTV Rijnmond.
As a close associate of nationalist politician Pim Fortuyn,in 2002 she was recruited as a candidate for the Pim Fortuyn List (LPF) party. She was elected as a member of the House of Representatives for the Pim Fortuyn List from 23 May 2002 until 22 July 2002,when she became State Secretary for Social Affairs and Work Opportunity in the first Balkenende cabinet. Bijlhout was the first female ethnic minority politician in the Netherlands to hold the position. [1]
However,she resigned a few hours after being appointed,after television channel RTL 4 reported that she had been a member of a militia operated by Surinamese military dictator Dési Bouterse from 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 had left prior to the December murders. She claimed in an interview in de Volkskrant that there were no photographs of her in uniform in the militia and that she had left by 1981,but RTL 4 produced a photograph dated 1983 which appeared to show Bijlhout was still an active member. This subsequently triggered her resignation. [2] Her tenure as a state secretary was the shortest in Dutch history. She was succeeded by Khee Liang Phoa. Bijlhout claimed that when she stood down from the position of State Secretary,LPF leader Mat Herben had said she was welcome to remain in the House for the party;however,Bijlhout decided to stand down as an MP too,due to the intense media response to the controversy.
After retiring from Dutch politics,Bijlhout hosted a travel show in 2004 and worked as a reporter for the Surinamese newspaper De Ware Tijd. She later became a social worker in Rotterdam. [3] In 2008,she published an autobiography More than a Day.
Wilhelmus Simon Petrus Fortuijn, known as Pim Fortuyn, was a Dutch politician, author, civil servant, businessman, sociologist and academic who founded the party Pim Fortuyn List in 2002.
The Pim Fortuyn List was a right-wing populist political party in the Netherlands named after its eponymous founder Pim Fortuyn, a former university professor and political columnist. The party was considered nationalist as well as adhering to its own distinct ideology of Fortuynism according to some commentators.
Jan Pieter "Jan Peter" Balkenende Jr. is a Dutch politician of the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) party and jurist who served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 22 July 2002 to 14 October 2010.
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.
General elections were held in the Netherlands on 15 May 2002. The elections were amongst the most dramatic in Dutch history, not just in terms of the electoral results, as they were completely overshadowed by the assassination of leader Pim Fortuyn only nine days before election day.
This article lists some of the events that took place in the Netherlands in 2002.
Hilbrand Pier Anne Nawijn is a Dutch lawyer and politician of the local political party Lijst Hilbrand Nawijn (LHN) in Zoetermeer.
Mathieu "Mat" Herben is a Dutch journalist, civil servant and retired politician of the dissolved Pim Fortuyn List (LPF) party and served as leader of the LPF 2003 to 2006.
Bernard Johannes "Joost" Eerdmans is a Dutch politician, broadcaster and former civil servant who has served as Leader of JA21 since 18 December 2020, a party he co-founded with Annabel Nanninga. Elected to the House of Representatives in the 2021 general election, he took office on 31 March 2021. Eerdmans had previously served as a member of the House of Representatives from 23 May 2002 until 30 November 2006 for the Pim Fortuyn List (LPF) and as an Independent.
Ahmed Aboutaleb is a Dutch politician of Moroccan origin, he is of the Labour Party (PvdA) and a journalist. He has been the Mayor of Rotterdam since 5 January 2009, and he announced in January 2024 that he would resign later in the year.
Khee Liang Phoa is a Dutch former politician, who served as undersecretary for emancipation and family affairs in the first Balkenende cabinet from September 2002 to May 2003.
Hermanus Philippus Johannes Bernardus Heinsbroek is a Dutch entrepreneur, media commentator, author and former politician who briefly served as Minister of Economic Affairs in 2002 in the first Balkenende cabinet. He was a member of the Pim Fortuyn List (LPF) party from August to October 2002, when he co-founded a new party, List New Politics, with Harry Wijnschenk. Their aim was to take part in the 2003 general election, although LNP eventually failed to find enough candidates to present a list. It was disbanded before the Electoral Council in February 2003.
Roelf Hendrik de Boer is a retired Dutch politician and businessman who was a member the Pim Fortuyn List (LPF) and briefly served as Deputy Prime Minister from 2002 to 2003.
Pim Fortuyn, a Dutch politician, was assassinated by Volkert van der Graaf in Hilversum, North Holland on 6 May 2002, nine days before the general election of 2002, in which he was leading the Pim Fortuyn List (LPF).
Berend Jan Odink was Dutch politician and nature conservationist who served as an MP in the House of Representatives for the Pim Fortuyn List (LPF) from 2002 to 2003. He served as Secretary of Ttate for Ministry of Agriculture, Nature Conservation and Fisheries in the first Balkenende cabinet.
Robertus Hendricus (Rob) Hessing is a Dutch former politician who held the position of State Secretary for the Interior and Kingdom Relations on behalf of the Pim Fortuyn List (LPF) in the first Balkenende cabinet. From 2003 to 2007 he was a member of the Senate.
Steven Richard Antonius van Eijck is a Dutch academic, economist and former politician who served as State Secretary for Finance in the First Balkenende cabinet on behalf of the Pim Fortuyn List.
Margot Kraneveldt is a Dutch politician who has served as an MP in the Dutch House of Representatives.
Oscar Hammerstein is a former Dutch lawyer.
After the Dutch general election of 15 May 2002, a cabinet formation took place in Netherlands. This resulted in the First Balkenende cabinet. The coalition was formed by Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA), People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) and the Pim Fortuyn List (LPF).
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