Mona Keijzer
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Fourth Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands | |
Assuming office 2 July 2024 | |
Prime Minister | Dick Schoof (designate) |
Succeeding | Office established |
Minister of Housing and Spatial Planning | |
Assuming office 2 July 2024 | |
Prime Minister | Dick Schoof (designate) |
Succeeding | Hugo de Jonge |
State Secretary for Economic Affairs and Climate Policy | |
In office 26 October 2017 – 25 September 2021 Serving with Dilan Yeşilgöz (2021) | |
Prime Minister | Mark Rutte |
Preceded by | Martijn van Dam |
Succeeded by | Hans Vijlbrief (2022) |
Member of the House of Representatives | |
Assumed office 6 December 2023 | |
In office 31 March 2021 – 27 September 2021 | |
In office 20 September 2012 – 26 October 2017 | |
Personal details | |
Born | Maria Cornelia Gezina Keijzer (1968-10-09) 9 October 1968 (age 55) Edam, Netherlands |
Political party | BBB (2023–present) |
Other political affiliations | CDA (1989–2023) |
Children | 5 |
Alma mater | University of Amsterdam (LLM, MA) |
Occupation | Politician, lawyer, mediator, civil servant |
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Maria Cornelia Gezina "Mona" Keijzer (born 9 October 1968) is a Dutch politician and former civil servant. A member of the Farmer–Citizen Movement (BoerBurgerBeweging, BBB), she won a seat in the House of Representatives in the 2023 Dutch general election. She was nominated to serve as Fourth Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands and Minister of Housing and Spatial Planning in the incoming Schoof cabinet, starting 2 July 2024.
Formerly a member of the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA), she served in the Third Rutte cabinetasState Secretary for Economic Affairs and Climate Policy alongside Dilan Yesilgöz-Zegerius from 26 October 2017 until 25 September 2021. Keijzer served in the House of Representatives between 2012 and 2017, and again for six months from 31 March 2021 until 27 September 2021. She focused on matters of nursing, home care and culture. Before becoming a full-time politician, she worked as an environmental jurist for the municipalities of Waterland and Almere, as well as for the province of Gelderland.
Keijzer was born in a Catholic family in Edam, and she has an older brother and a younger sister. She attended the Werenfridus secondary school in HoornatVWO level, and she studied juridical public administration and public law at the University of Amsterdam.[1]
Keijzer started her political career as a member of the municipal councilofWaterland from 1996 to 2002 and was later an alderwoman from 1998 to 2006. Subsequently, she worked as a lawyer and mediator in 2005 and 2006. Afterwards she was an alderwoman of neighbouring municipality of Purmerend from 2007 to 2012.
In 2012, Keijzer contested the CDA leadership election in an attempt to become the party's lijsttrekker for the 2012 general election. Although performing unexpectedly well in the elections, she let Sybrand van Haersma Buma go first. Placed second on the list of candidates, Keijzer was elected to the House of Representatives, receiving 127,446 votes, and she served as her party's spokesperson for curative care, asylum, and integration.[2] She was reelected in the 2017 general election with 165,384 votes.
On 26 October 2017, Keijzer was appointed State Secretary for Economic Affairs and Climate Policy in the third Rutte cabinet. In this capacity, she was responsible for consumer policy, small and medium-sized enterprises, telecom, post and market regulation.[3]
In a joint statement in October 2020, Keijzer and her French counterpart Cédric O called for a European Union authority to regulate large technology companies and argued that such an authority should be able to prevent digital platforms from blocking access to their services "unless they have an objective justification."[4]
In 2020, she again contested the CDA leadership election, but came third, after Hugo de Jonge and Pieter Omtzigt. Placed seventh on the party's candidate list for the 2021 general election, Keijzer was reelected, obtaining 18,031 votes.
On 25 September 2021 Keijzer was dismissed from her cabinet position after publicly criticising the cabinet's position on COVID-19 measures.[5] While forced resignations are not unheard of, being removed from a cabinet position has little precedent. The last time a cabinet member was fired was in 1975, although in that instance Jan Glastra van Loon was allowed to resign. Before Keijzer's discharge, no other cabinet member had actually been fired since World War II.[6] Media outlets reported that Keijzer refused to resign.[7] Keijzer also resigned from the House of Representatives two days later.[8]
On 1 September 2023, Keijzer joined Farmer–Citizen Movement and it was announced that she would be the party's candidate in position two, for the November 2023 election, and also the BBB candidate for the position of Prime Minister.[9] She assisted her party in subsequent cabinet formation talks.[10] In the House, Keijzer serves as the BBB's spokesperson for the interior, digital affairs, migration, social affairs, and media.[11] She raised the possibility of declaring certain parts of Ukraine safe during Russia's invasion of the country such that refugees could return. She also suggested refugees would have to contribute more financially towards their sheltering to discourage an influx.[12]
She was nominated in June 2024 to serve as Minister of Housing and Spatial Planning and as Deputy Prime Minister in the new Schoof cabinet.[2]
Keijzer is married to a urologist and has five sons.[2] She lives in Ilpendam and belongs to the Catholic Church. Her father-in-law is a former alderman of Waterland for the CDA.
Year | Body | Party | Pos. | Votes | Result | Ref. | ||
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Party seats | Individual | |||||||
2010 | House of Representatives | Christian Democratic Appeal | 67 | 442 | 21 | Lost | [13] | |
2012 | House of Representatives | Christian Democratic Appeal | 2 | 127,446 | 13 | Won | [14] | |
2017 | House of Representatives | Christian Democratic Appeal | 2 | 165,384 | 19 | Won | [15] | |
2021 | House of Representatives | Christian Democratic Appeal | 7 | 18,031 | 15 | Won | [16] | |
2023 | House of Representatives | Farmer–Citizen Movement | 2 | 43,005 | 7 | Won | [17] |
Political offices | ||
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Preceded by | State Secretary for Economic Affairs and Climate Policy 2017–2021 |
Vacant |
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House of Representatives | ||
Party for Freedom (PVV – 37) |
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GroenLinks–Labour Party (GL/PvdA – 25) |
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People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD – 24) |
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New Social Contract (NSC – 20) |
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Democrats 66 (D66 – 9) |
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Farmer–Citizen Movement (BBB – 7) |
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Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA – 5) |
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Socialist Party (SP – 5) |
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DENK (DENK – 3) |
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Party for the Animals (PvdD – 3) |
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Forum for Democracy (FVD – 3) |
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Reformed Political Party (SGP – 3) |
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Christian Union (CU – 3) |
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Volt Netherlands (Volt – 2) |
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JA21 (JA21 – 1) |
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Bold indicates the parliamentary leader (first mentioned) and the Speaker; (Brackets) indicate a temporarily absent member; |
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---|---|---|
House of Representatives | ||
People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD – 34) |
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Democrats 66 (D66 – 24) |
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Party for Freedom (PVV – 16) |
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Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA – 14) |
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Socialist Party (SP – 9) |
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Labour Party (PvdA – 9) |
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GroenLinks (GL – 8) |
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Party for the Animals (PvdD – 6) |
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Forum for Democracy (FVD – 5) |
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Christian Union (CU – 5) |
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Farmer–Citizen Movement (BBB – 4) |
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Reformed Political Party (SGP – 3) |
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DENK (DENK – 3) |
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Volt Netherlands (Volt – 2) |
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JA21 (JA21 – 1) |
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Den Haan Group (FDH – 1) |
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BIJ1 (BIJ1 – 1) |
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Van Haga Group (Indep. – 3) |
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Member Ephraim (Indep. – 1) |
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Member Gündoğan (Indep. – 1) |
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Member Omtzigt (Indep. – 1) |
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Bold indicates the parliamentary leader (first mentioned) and the Speaker; (Brackets) indicate a temporarily absent member; |
| ||
---|---|---|
House of Representatives | ||
People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD – 32) |
| |
Party for Freedom (PVV – 20) |
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Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA – 19) |
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Democrats 66 (D66 – 19) |
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GroenLinks (GL – 14) |
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Socialist Party (SP – 14) |
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Labour Party (PvdA – 9) |
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Christian Union (CU – 5) |
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Party for the Animals (PvdD – 4) |
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50PLUS (50+ – 3) |
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Reformed Political Party (SGP – 3) |
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DENK (DENK – 3) |
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Forum for Democracy (FVD – 2) |
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Member Krol (Indep. – 1) |
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Member Van Kooten-Arissen (Indep. – 1) |
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Bold indicates the parliamentary leader (first mentioned) and the Speaker; (Brackets) indicate a temporarily absent member; |
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House of Representatives | ||
People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD – 40) |
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Labour Party (PvdA – 35) |
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Socialist Party (SP – 15) |
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Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA – 13) |
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Party for Freedom (PVV – 12) |
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Democrats 66 (D66 – 12) |
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Christian Union (CU – 5) |
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GroenLinks (GL – 4) |
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Reformed Political Party (SGP – 3) |
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Party for the Animals (PvdD – 2) |
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50PLUS (50+ – 1) |
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Bontes/Van Klaveren Group (Indep. – 2) |
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Kuzu/Öztürk Group (Indep. – 2) |
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Member Van Vliet (Indep. – 1) |
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Member Klein (Indep. – 1) |
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Member Houwers (Indep. – 1) |
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Member Monasch (Indep. – 1) |
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Abc signifies the parliamentary leader (first mentioned) and the Speaker; (Abc) signifies a temporarily absent member; |