Netherlands cabinet Balkenende-1

The first cabinet of Jan Peter Balkenende was in office in the Netherlands from 22 July 2002 until 16 October of the same year. The term of 87 days (counting the first and last days in full and excluding its "caretaker" function that continued for months afterwards) was the shortest since the fifth cabinet of Hendrikus Colijn (25 July 1939 - 10 August 1939).

After the 15 May 2002 elections the division of the 150 seats in the lower house (Tweede Kamer) was:

On 17 May Queen Beatrix appointed Piet Hein Donner, a CDA member of the Raad van State as "informer", to investigate the possibilities for a new government. A coalition between CDA, LPF and VVD was established relatively quickly, despite some initial resistance by the VVD. By 4 July a detailed coalition agreement had been drawn up and the Queen appointed Jan Peter Balkenende, the lijsttrekker for the CDA, to form a new cabinet. The cabinet was named on 16 July and was sworn in on 22 July. The cabinet Balkenende-1 comprised 14 ministers and 14 state secretaries, with each post allocated to one of the coalition parties. Each of the ministers headed a department, with the exception of one "minister without a portfolio" to deal with "foreigners policy and integration", accommodated by the Ministry of Justice.

Incidents and Scandals

The First Balkenende Cabinet was very unstable from the beginning. Elections had been held in the very recent aftermath of the assassination of Pim Fortuyn, the leader of the newly established LPF. Emotions in the Netherlands, a country where the last political assassination had taken place in 1584 with the murder of Prince William of Orange, had run very high. The LPF was catapulted into enormous wins and the party proved unprepared for cabinet participation. Personality conflicts and the general inexperience of LPF cabinet members led to the rapid implosion of the cabinet. After the ensuing new elections, the LPF lost two-thirds of its seats in the Dutch Lower House and the party has since been disbanded on a national level.

Resignation of Undersecretary Bijlhout

The first scandal in the new government came only nine ours after it took office. Philomena Bijlhout, the staatssecretaris (Undersecretary) for Social Affairs and Work Opportunity appointed by the LPF, resigned after evidence was presented that she had been a member of a militia of Surinamese military coup leader Dési Bouterse in 1982 and 1983, during the period when the militia had committed the political murders known as the "December Murders."

Power Struggles within the LPF and the Resignation of the Cabinet

In the months following the election, the LPF was beset by power struggles between various factions. A big incident was when minister Nawijn declared to be in favour of the death penalty. The cabinet was officially opposed to the death penalty. Nawijn responded that he made his remark as leader of the LPF. The party in its turn declared that it was opposed to the death penalty. Nawijn was highly criticised when he declared that it was a personal remark, because it was normal that a minister in a coalition cabinet could make remarks as political party member outside his ministerial responsibility.

A huge incident between ministers of the LPF, Bomhoff and Heinsbroek led to the resignation of the cabinet. A bell used by Vice-Prime Minister Bomhoff to indicate he wanted to speak during cabinet meetings annoyed Minister Heinsbroek and a row ensued which dragged on for several weeks. The other LPF ministers decided not to support Bomhoff and Heinsbroek anymore. They made this decision during the funeral of Prince-Consort Claus von Amsberg, who had died on 6 October 2002. Finance Minister Gerrit Zalm was so outraged at their breach of decorum during a royal funeral that he demanded new elections. He no longer wanted to be in a government with the LPF. Meetings with the Queen did not take place until the week after the resignation, since she had travelled to Italy immediately after the funeral. On 21 October she accepted the resignation and new elections were called for 22 January 2003. The cabinet remained in place as a "caretaker" administration, without Bomhoff and Heinsbroek, until the elections and formation of a new cabinet.

On 12 December 2002, Benk Korthals resigned as caretaker Minister of Defence after a commission of inquiry into building industry fraud accused him of giving false information to the Lower House during the previous cabinet. After resigning he said he still denied the allegations.

Cabinet actions

* Revoked a planned ban on mink farming initiated by the previous cabinet [ [http://archief.telegraaf.nl/artikel.fpl?id=277339&pagina=0 Telegraaf 2002-10-10] ]
* Approved an expansion of the European Union.
* Support for the United States in its plan to invade Iraq.
* Cuts to a subsidised jobs scheme of Ad Melkert, the "Melkertbanen".
* Reorganisation of defence (and budget cuts?) involving 4800 job losses [ [http://www.regering.nl/actueel/nieuwsarchief/2002/12December/02/42_11953.jsp?ComponentID=11953 www.regering.nl 2002-12-02] ]
* Reduction of spending on public transport of 39 million euros in 2003 (originally to be 60 million) [ [http://www.regering.nl/actueel/nieuwsarchief/2002/11November/19/42_11623.jsp?ComponentID=11623 www.regering.nl 2002-11-19] ]
* Cuts to the budgets of most government departments, but with increased spending in some areas.

Ministers

Prime Minister, General Affairs (CDA)	Jan Peter Balkenende
Vice Prime Minister, Health and Sport (LPF)	Eduard Bomhoff (resigned 16 October 2002, after which Aart Jan de Geus added this portfolio).
Vice Prime Minister, Internal Affairs and Kingdom Relations (VVD)	Johan Remkes
Foreign Affairs (CDA)	Jaap de Hoop Scheffer
Justice (CDA)	Piet Hein Donner
Education, Culture and Sciences (CDA)	Maria van der Hoeven
Finances (VVD)	Hans Hoogervorst
Defence (VVD)	Benk Korthals (resigned 12 December 2002, after which Henk Kamp added this portfolio)
Housing, Spatial Planning and Environment (VVD)	Henk Kamp
Transport and Water (LPF)	Roelf de Boer
Economic Affairs, External Trade (*) (LPF)	Herman Heinsbroek (resigned 16 October 2002, after which Hans Hoogervorst added this portfolio).
Agriculture, Nature Management and Fishery (CDA)	Cees Veerman
Social Affairs and Work Opportunity (CDA)	Aart Jan de Geus
Foreigners Policy and Integration (LPF)	Hilbrand Nawijn

Staatssecretaris

Foreign Affairs (Development Cooperation), Minister of Development Cooperation (*) (CDA)	A.M.A. van Ardenne-van der Hoeven
Foreign Affairs (European Affairs) (VVD)	Atzo Nicolaï
Internal Affairs and Kingdom Relations (LPF)	R.H. Hessing
Education, Culture and Sciences (Science and Higher Education) (VVD)	A.D.S. M. Nijs
Education, Culture and Sciences (Culture and Media) (LPF)	C.H.J. van Leeuwen
Finances (LPF)	S.R.A. van Eijck
Defence (CDA)	C. van der Knaap
Housing, Spacial Planning and Environment (CDA)	P.B.L.A van Geel
Transport and Water (VVD)	M.H. Schultz van Haegen-Maas Geesteranus
Economic Affairs (CDA), Minister of Foreign Trade (*)	Joop Wijn
Agriculture, Nature Management and Fishery (LPF)	B.J. Odink
Social Affairs and Work Opportunity (VVD)	M. Rutte
Social Affairs and Work Opportunity (Emancipation and Family Affairs) (LPF)	Philomena Bijlhout (resigned 22 July 2002), Khee Liang Phoa (from 9 September 2002)
Health and Sport (CDA)	Clemence Ross-Van Dorp

(*) Alternative title that can be used outside the Netherlands.

ources

* [http://www.volkskrant.nl/1026900268305.html http://www.volkskrant.nl/1026900268305.html]
* [http://www.minaz.nl/ministerraad/kabinet_1945/index.html http://www.minaz.nl/ministerraad/kabinet_1945/index.html]
* The report of Balkenende to the Queen from [http://www.minaz.nl/kabinetsformatie/ http://www.minaz.nl/kabinetsformatie/]

ee also

* Lijst Pim Fortuyn (covers in detail reasons for breakup)

References