Leader
Term of office
Age as leader
Position(s ) as leader
Further position(s )
Former affiliation
Professional background
Religion
Lead candidate
Dries van Agt (1931–2024)
10 December 1976 – 25 October 1982 (5 years, 319 days) [1 ]
45–51
Minister of Justice (1971–1977) Deputy Prime Minister (1973–1977) Member of the House of Representatives (1977, 1981, 1982–1983) Parliamentary leader in the House of Representatives (1977, 1981) Prime Minister (1977–1982) President of the European Council (1981) Minister of Foreign Affairs (1982)
Member of the House of Representatives (1973) Queen's Commissioner of North Brabant (1983–1987) Ambassador of the European Union to Japan (1987–1990) Ambassador of the European Union to the United States (1990–1995)
KVP
Lawyer civil servant professor
Catholic
1977 1981 1982
Ruud Lubbers (1939–2018)
25 October 1982 – 29 January 1994 (11 years, 96 days) [1 ]
43–54
Member of the House of Representatives (1977–1982, 1986, 1989) Parliamentary leader in the House of Representatives (1981–1982, 1986, 1989) Prime Minister (1982–1994) President of the European Council (1986, 1991) Minister for Netherlands Antilles and Aruba Affairs (1989, 1994)
Minister of Economic Affairs (KVP ) (1973–1977) Member of the House of Representatives (1977) Minister of State (1995–2018) United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (2001–2005)
KVP
Businessman Economist
Catholic
1986 1989
Elco Brinkman (born 1948)
29 January 1994 – 16 August 1994 (199 days) [1 ]
45–46
Member of the House of Representatives (1989–1995) Parliamentary leader in the House of Representatives (1989–1994)
Minister of Welfare, Health and Culture (1982–1986) Member of the House of Representatives (1986) Member of the Social and Economic Council (1995–2011) Member of the Senate (2011–2019) Parliamentary leader in the Senate (2011–2019)
Civil servant
Protestant
1994
Enneüs Heerma (1944–1999)
16 August 1994 – 27 March 1997 (2 years, 254 days) [1 ]
49–52
Member of the House of Representatives (1994–1997) Parliamentary leader in the House of Representatives (1994–1997)
State Secretary for Economic Affairs (1986) State Secretary for Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment (1986–1994) Member of the House of Representatives (1989)
ARP
Management consultant
Protestant
Jaap de Hoop Scheffer (born 1948)
27 March 1997 – 1 October 2001 (4 years, 157 days) [1 ]
48–53
Member of the House of Representatives (1986–2002) Parliamentary leader in the House of Representatives (1997–2001)
Minister of Foreign Affairs (2002–2003) Secretary General of NATO (2003–2009) Minister of State (since 2018)
D66
Civil servant Diplomat
Catholic
1998
Dr. Jan Peter Balkenende (born 1956)
1 October 2001 – 9 June 2010 (8 years, 251 days) [1 ]
46–54
Member of the House of Representatives (1998–2002, 2003, 2006–2007) Parliamentary leader in the House of Representatives (2001–2002, 2003, 2006–2007) Prime Minister (2002–2010) President of the European Council (2004)
Researcher Professor
Protestant
2002 2003 2006 2010
Maxime Verhagen (born 1956)
9 June 2010 – 30 June 2012 (2 years, 21 days) [1 ]
53–55
Member of the House of Representatives (2010) Parliamentary leader in the House of Representatives (2010) Minister of Economic Affairs , Agriculture and Innovation Deputy Prime Minister (2010–2012)
Member of the European Parliament (1989–1994) Member of the House of Representatives (1994–2007) Parliamentary leader in the House of Representatives (2002–2003, 2003–2006, 2007) Minister of Foreign Affairs (2007–2010) Minister for Development Cooperation (2010) Member of the Social and Economic Council (since 2015)
Political consultant
Catholic
Sybrand van Haersma Buma (born 1965)
30 June 2012 – 22 May 2019 (6 years, 326 days) [1 ]
46–53
Member of the House of Representatives (2002–2019) Parliamentary leader in the House of Representatives (2010–2019)
Mayor of Leeuwarden (since 2019)
Jurist Civil servant
Protestant
2012 2017
Vacant After Sybrand van Haersma Buma stepped down, Pieter Heerma took over as parliamentary leader in the House of Representatives but the party leadership remained vacant until the 2020 leadership election . (22 May 2019 – 15 July 2020)
Hugo de Jonge (born 1977)
15 July 2020 – 10 December 2020 (148 days) [1 ]
42–43
Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport Deputy Prime Minister (2017–2022)
Minister for Housing and Spatial Planning (since 2022)
Teacher School administrator Political consultant
Protestant
Vacant (10 December 2020 – 11 December 2020)
Wopke Hoekstra (born 1975)
11 December 2020 – 14 August 2023 (2 years, 246 days) [1 ]
45–47
Minister of Finance (2017–2022) Member of the House of Representatives (2021–2022) Parliamentary leader in the House of Representatives (2021–2022) Minister of Foreign Affairs Deputy Prime Minister (since 2022)
Member of the Senate (2011–2017)
Management consultant
Remonstrant
2021
Henri Bontenbal (born 1982)
14 August 2023 – Incumbent (323 days) [1 ]
40–41
Member of the House of Representatives (since 2022)
Member of the House of Representatives (2021, 2021)
Energy consultant
Protestant
2023