Cornelis Gerrit "Kees" van der Staaij (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈkeːs fɑn dər ˈstaːi];[a] born 12 September 1968) is a Dutch politician who served as a member of the House of Representatives from 1998 to 2023 and Leader of the Reformed Political Party (Staatkundig Gereformeerde Partij, SGP) between 2010 and 2023.[1] As a parliamentarian, he focused on matters of judiciary, home affairs, Kingdom relations, foreign policy, the European Union, development aid, the defense, public health, welfare, sports, immigration and political asylum. Van der Staaij had been the longest running member of the House of Representatives from 2017 until 2023.
Kees van der Staaij | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Leader of the Reformed Political Party | |
| In office 27 March 2010 – 25 August 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Bas van der Vlies |
| Succeeded by | Chris Stoffer |
| Leader of the Reformed Political Party in the House of Representatives | |
| In office 10 May 2010 – 25 August 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Bas van der Vlies |
| Succeeded by | Chris Stoffer |
| Member of the House of Representatives | |
| In office 19 May 1998 – 5 December 2023 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Cornelis Gerrit van der Staaij 12 September 1968 Vlaardingen, Netherlands |
| Political party | Reformed Political Party |
| Spouse |
Marlies van Ree (m. 1994) |
| Residence | Benthuizen |
| Alma mater | Leiden University (LLM) |
| Occupation | |
| Website | (in Dutch) Official website |
Early life
editVan der Staaij was born in Vlaardingen, a city in the province of South Holland. His father was a civil servant in the municipality Maartensdijk.
He went to two Reformed primary schools in Vlaardingen (1974–1979) and Geldermalsen (1979–1980) and to a Reformed secondary school in Amersfoort (1980–1986). He studied law at Leiden University, specialising in constitutional and administrative law.
Politics
editVan der Staaij was attracted to politics and became a member of the Reformed Political Party in 1986.
After several jobs at the Council of State, he was elected to the House of Representatives in 1998. In 2010 he became party leader as well as parliamentary leader in both cases succeeding Bas van der Vlies. He led his party as lead candidate in the 2010, 2012 and 2017 general elections.[2]
Van der Staaij is considered one of the most conservative and right-wing political leaders in the Netherlands. He signed the anti-LGBTQI Nashville Statement and supported anti-abortion organisations, making sure such organisations were granted more subsidies. Before the 2012 Dutch general election, when asked whether he agreed with Todd Akin's comments on "legitimate rape" and pregnancy, he said "it is a fact" that women "seldom" become pregnant after being raped.[3] He and his party focus on the importance of faith and community in society and frequently advocate for theocracy.[4]
Van der Staaij again served as lead candidate for the SGP in the 2021 general election.[5] The SGP won 3 out of the 150 seats in the House of Representatives. [6] Van der Staaij announced that he would not seek re-election in November 2023.[7] He succeeded Marja van Bijsterveldt as special envoy for the maritime industry, advising the Minister of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy, in February 2024, and he returned to the Council of State in June 2024 as a state councilor in its advisory division.[8][9]
Electoral history
edit| Year | Body | Party | Pos. | Votes | Result | Ref. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party seats | Individual | |||||||
| 1998 | House of Representatives | Reformed Political Party | 3 | 2,250 | 3 | Won | ||
| 2002 | House of Representatives | 2 | 7,107 | 2 | Won | |||
| 2003 | House of Representatives | 2 | 8,060 | 2 | Won | |||
| 2006 | House of Representatives | 2 | 5,878 | 2 | Won | |||
| 2010 | House of Representatives | 1 | 152,493 | 2 | Won | |||
| 2012 | House of Representatives | 1 | 182,189 | 3 | Won | |||
| 2017 | House of Representatives | 1 | 196,205 | 3 | Won | |||
| 2021 | House of Representatives | 1 | 193,605 | 3 | Won | |||
| 2024 | European Parliament | 39[b] | 9,276 | 1 | Lost | [10] | ||
Notes
edit- ^ In isolation, van is pronounced [vɑn] or also [fɑn].
- ^ Van der Staaij participated as lijstduwer.
References
edit- (in Dutch) Parlement.com biography
- ^ du Pré, Raoul (2023-08-25). "De politieke generatiewissel raakt zelfs de SGP: Kees van der Staaij verlaat het toneel". de Volkskrant (in Dutch). Retrieved 2023-11-10.
- ^ (in Dutch) Van der Staaij lijsttrekker SGP, Nederland Kiest - Tweede Kamerverkiezingen 2010, 27 March 2010
- ^ Cluskey, Peter (August 31, 2012). "Dutch candidate echoes Akin comments on rape and abortion". The Irish Times. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
- ^ "Nashvilleverklaring krijgt pastoraal nawoord (Nashville Statement gets pastoral postscript)". RD - reformatorisch Dagblad. 2019-01-04. Archived from the original on 2019-01-04. Retrieved 2019-01-05.
- ^ Kees van der Staaij opnieuw lijsttrekker, parlement.com (in Dutch)
- ^ Kiesraad (2021-03-26). "Officiële uitslag Tweede Kamerverkiezing 17 maart 2021 - Nieuwsbericht - Kiesraad.nl". www.kiesraad.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 2021-04-10.
- ^ "Kees van der Staaij, SGP-leider én langstzittende Kamerlid, stopt ermee". RTL Nieuws (in Dutch). 2023-08-25. Retrieved 2023-08-29.
- ^ Den Braber, Dick (26 January 2024). "Maritieme sector wijst koning op concurrentie uit China" [Maritime industry makes king aware of Chinese competition]. Reformatorisch Dagblad (in Dutch). Retrieved 26 April 2024.
- ^ "Oud-SGP-voorman Van der Staaij naar Raad van State" [Former SGP leader Van der Staaij to Council of State]. NOS (in Dutch). 26 April 2024. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
- ^ "Proces-verbaal centraal stembureau uitslag verkiezing Europees Parlement Model P22-1" [Central electoral council report of the results of the election of the European Parliament Model P22-1] (PDF). Dutch Electoral Council (in Dutch). 19 June 2024. pp. 25–26, 44. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
External links
edit
- (in Dutch) House of Representatives biography