Second Balkenende cabinet
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Template:Election netherlands The second cabinet of Jan Peter Balkenende has been in office in the Netherlands from May 27, 2003. It consists of three political parties: VVD, CDA and D66. D66 is the smallest of them.
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Formation
On January 24, Queen Beatrix asked Piet Hein Donner (minister of Justice for the CDA in the previous cabinet) to lead the coalition negotiations. The negotiations for the coalition were lengthy. Initially the CDA preferred to continue its right-wing coalition with the VVD, but they didn't have sufficient seats in the Tweede Kamer without the support of a third party. Another coalition with Lijst Pim Fortuyn would be likely to be unpopular with voters, after the events of the first Balkenende cabinet, D66 was unwilling to join a coalition. A government supported by the orthodox christian SGP and CU was opposed by the VVD. A long negotiation between CDA and PvdA followed. The PvdA and CDA had come out of the elections as equal partners. The negotiations which were troubled by the War in Iraq, the bad economic forecasts and personal animosity between the leader of the CDA Balkenende and leader of the PvdA Bos. After a couple of months was called off by Balkenende. At this point, D66 decided to join the coalition after all. The cabinet is based on a very slim majority in parliament of 78 seats out of 150. When VVD MP Geert Wilders left his party on September 2, 2004 (continuing as a one man party), the narrow majority of the Balkenende II cabinet slimmed down even further to 77 seats in the Tweede Kamer.
Policy
The cabinet program is based around the slogan: "Mee doen, Meer Werk, Minder Regels" (Participation, More Employment, and Less Regulations). The cabinet seeks to address the problems of integration of ethnic minorities (participation), the economic recession (more employment) and the lack of trust in government (Less Regulations).
Migration & Integration Policy
The most controversial issue the cabinet addresses is the perceived lack of integration of ethnic minorities (especially guest workers from Morocco and Turkey). To solve this problem this cabinet has tried to reduce the influx of migrants and to force migrants to take an integration course. The cabinet appointed a minister especially on this issue: Mrs Verdonk. She is one of the most controversial minister of the cabinet.
The influx of migrants is reduced by enforcing the asylum seekers law of 2000 rigidly. This law was created under the Cabinet Kok-II by current mayor of Amsterdam, Cohen. Most controversially 26,000 asylum seekers who lived in the Netherlands for over 5 years but who will not be granted asylum were to be sent out of the country. Furthermore partners of dutch citizens are only allowed to immigrate into the Netherlands if the dutch partner earns more than 130% of the minimum income.
Every person who wants to immigrate into the Netherlands must have passed an integration test. It tests knowledge of the dutch language, political system and social conventions. The test must be taken before entering the Netherlands, preferably in a dutch Embassy in the country of origin. "Oudkomers", migrants who have lived in the Netherlands for a long time, but are not integrated, are also requested to take the exam.
Economic Reform
The cabinet took power at a time when the Netherlands' economy was in poor shape, with increasing unemployment and slight economic contraction. In order to jump start the economic growth the cabinet has proposed tax cuts and reform of the system of social welfare.
The cabinet has implemented a new law for disability pensions. Most people enjoyed disability pensions under the old disability law received pensions even if they were only partially disabled and could still work. The pensions of these people are cut, and they are forced to return to workfloor. Furthermore the cabinet has limited the possibility of early retirement. Without exception all dutch employees will be forced to work until they have become 65, possibly longer.
The cabinet also has cut government spending by 5700 million euro, making a total of 11 billion euro, when combined with the cuts announced by the previous cabinet. Among other measures, free dental care, physiotherapy and anti-conception medication were cut, 12000 positions were to be eliminated in the armed forces and some of their bases closed, the link between benefit payment rates and salaries was to be broken, and the rental housing subsidy was reduced. At the same time, 4 milliard euro in extra spending was made available, mainly in education and justice.
Institutional Reform
Another controversial issue is the reform of the dutch political system. This was proposed in order to overcome the 'gap between politics and citizens', which became clear in the 2002 elections, which were dominated by the rightwing populist Pim Fortuyn. The cabinet also appointed a special minister for this, issue: Thom de Graaf, who proposed an ambitious reform proposal, but met much resistance. Two of the most important proposals were the directly elected mayor and the election system.
The Netherlands is one of the last countries in Europe not to have an elected mayor, instead he is appointed by the Crown. In order to change this the constitution has to be amended. A proposal to do this by Minister De Vries in 2001, under the Cabinet Kok-II, was rejected in second reading by the higher house. This was because it would allow the controversial plans of De Graaf to be implemented. This would involve a mayor, directly elected by the city's population, who would have considerable power to take care of security and public order.
The proposed election system would mirror the election system of Germany: proportionality would be preserved, but they would be supplemented by regional candidates.
Both proposals were withdrawn after the Easter Crisis (see bellow at mutations). The current minister of Institutional Reform, Pechtold, will institute two councils, one composed of specialists and one of citizens, who would propose a new election system.
Opposition to Policy
The cabinet is facing opposition, both from the official opposition in parliament, an extra-parliamentary movement, from international circles and from within.
The leftwing parties in parliament are heavily critical of this government, which they perceived to be the most rightwing cabinet in history. They perceive the policy on migration and integration as too hard and causing polarization between dutch people and immigrants, and the economic reforms and budget cuts as untimely, because of the recession.
The extra-parliamentary movement "Keer het Tij" (Turn the Tide) has organized mass demonstrations against the government. Important partners within Keer het Tij are the three main political parties, PvdA, SP and GroenLinks), the largest trade union, the FNV, environmental organisations like Greenpeace and Milieu Defensie, and organisations of migrants. Hundreds of thousand people attended the 2004 demonstration in the Hague. At the time the negotiations between the cabinet, the employers and the unions on early retirement had broken off, with the union leaders promissing a "hot autumn".
Most international criticism comes from Belgium. Two ministers, the liberal minister of Foreign Affairs De Gucht and the socialist vice-prime minister Vand Den Bossche of the purple Cabinet Verhofstad, have criticized the style of dutch cabinet. Calling the prime minister Balkenende 'Petty Bourgeois'.
Critique also rose out of the ranks of the largest government partner, the CDA. The former Christian-democratic prime minister Dries van Agt and former leader of the parliamentary party, De Vries, criticized the cabinet for its anti-social policy. Minister Pechtold has opposed cabinet policy on terrorism and drug law in the media, breaking the unity of cabinet.
Composition
The cabinet consists of 16 ministers and 10 state secretaries (junior ministers). These positions are divided according to size in parliament: The CDA supplies 8 ministers and 5 junior ministers, the VVD supplies 6 ministers and 4 junior ministers and finally D66 supplies 2 ministers and 1 junior minister. 17 of these were also in the first Balkenende cabinet: they are marked with an * in the list below.
Ministers
Junior Ministers
| Portfolio | State Secretary |
|---|---|
| Junior minister of European Affairs (Foreign Secretary) Ministry of Foreign Affairs (VVD) | Atzo Nicolaï* |
| Junior minister of Education, Culture and Science(VVD) | Annette Nijs*; Mark Rutte |
| Junior minister of Culture and ICT Ministry of Education, Culture and Science(D66) | Medy van der Laan |
| Junior minister of Finance (CDA) | Joop Wijn* |
| Junior minister of Defensie (CDA) | Cees van der Knaap* |
| Junior minister of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment (CDA) | Pieter van Geel* |
| Junior minister of Transport, Public Works and Water Management (VVD) | Melanie Schultz van Haegen* |
| Junior minister of Economic Affairs (CDA) | Karien van Gennip |
| Junior minister of Social Affairs and Employment (VVD) | Mark Rutte*; Henk van Hoof |
| Junior minister of Health, Welfare and Sport (CDA) | Clémence Ross-Van Dorp* |
Mutations
In December 2003 minister of Foreign Affairs De Hoop Scheffer is appointed secretary-general of the NATO. He is succeeded by former diplomat Ben Bot.
In June 2004 a personal conflict between junior minister for higher education Nijs and minister of education Verhoeven caused the departure of Nijs. This in turn caused a reshuffle: junior minister for social affairs Rutte becomes junior minister of higher education and Henk van Hoof (junior minister in previous cabinets) becomes junior minister of social affairs.
In March 2004 minister of institutional reform and kingdom affairs De Graaf resigns after the constitutional amendment that would allow elected mayors is rejected. A government crisis erupts, when all the three D66 ministers consider resigning. The plans for institutional reform are watered down in trade for more money for education in the so-called Easter Accord (because it was signed on the day before Easter) and D66 continues to support the cabinet. De Graaf is succeeded by the mayor of Wageningen Pechtold. The position of deputy prime minister was taken up by minister of economic affairs Brinkhorst.fr:Deuxième gouvernement de Jan Peter Balkenende li:Kabinet-Balkenende II nl:Kabinet-Balkenende II