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Mona Keijzer

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Mona Keijzer
Keijzer in 2019
Fourth Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands
Incumbent
Assumed office
2 July 2024
Prime MinisterDick Schoof
Preceded byOffice established
Minister of Housing and Spatial Planning
Incumbent
Assumed office
2 July 2024
Prime MinisterDick Schoof
Preceded byHugo de Jonge[a]
State Secretary for Economic Affairs
and Climate Policy
In office
26 October 2017 – 25 September 2021
Serving with Dilan Yeşilgöz (2021)
Prime MinisterMark Rutte
Preceded byMartijn van Dam
Succeeded byHans Vijlbrief
Member of the House of Representatives
In office
6 December 2023 – 2 July 2024
Succeeded byMariska Rikkers
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 56)
Edam, Netherlands
Political partyBBB (2023–present)
Other political
affiliations		CDA (1989–2023)
Children5
Alma materUniversity of Amsterdam (LLM, MA)
OccupationPolitician, lawyer, mediator, civil servant

Maria Cornelia Gezina "Mona" Keijzer (born 9 October 1968) is a Dutch politician and former civil servant who is the minister of housing and spatial planning in the Schoof cabinet since 2024.[1] A member of the Farmer–Citizen Movement (BoerBurgerBeweging, BBB), she won a seat in the House of Representatives in the 2023 Dutch general election.

Formerly a member of the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA), she served in the third Rutte cabinet as State 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.

Early life

[edit]

Keijzer was born in a Catholic family in Edam, and she has an older brother and a younger sister.[2] Her father had several jobs, including as fisher and construction worker.[3] She attended the Werenfridus secondary school in Hoorn at VWO level, and she studied juridical public administration and public law at the University of Amsterdam.[2]

Politics

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Christian Democratic Appeal

[edit]

Keijzer started her political career as a member of the municipal council of Waterland 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.[4] 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.[5]

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."[6]

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.[7] 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.[8] Media outlets reported that Keijzer refused to resign.[9] Keijzer also resigned from the House of Representatives two days later.[10]

Farmer–Citizen Movement MP

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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.[11] She assisted her party in subsequent cabinet formation talks.[12] In the House, Keijzer served as the BBB's spokesperson for the interior, digital affairs, migration, social affairs, and media.[13] 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.[14]

Defending strict asylum rules in May 2024, Keijzer called antisemitism "almost part of Islamic culture" in reference to the origin of many asylum seekers. Criminal complaints were subsequently filed against her for group defamation, but the Public Prosecution Service decided in July not to bring charges.[15] It stated that her statements were illegal and constituted group insult, but it argued that they had been made by a politician as part of political discourse on migration. Filers of the criminal complaints tried to compel the agency to prosecute her through a legal procedure, while Keijzer started a similar procedure to compel the agency to withdraw its opinion on the illegality of her statements. Keijzer's lawyer called the reasoning of the Public Prosecution Service stigmatizing.[16]

Minister of Housing and Spatial Planning

[edit]

After the PVV, VVD, NSC, and BBB formed the Schoof cabinet, Keijzer was sworn in as Fourth Deputy Prime Minister and as Minister of Housing and Spatial Planning on 2 July 2024. The Ministry of Housing and Spatial Planning was simultaneously re-established after its responsibilities had been handled by different ministries since 2010. Keijzer succeeded Hugo de Jonge, who served as a minister without portfolio.[4][17]

She was tasked with overseeing the construction of 100,000 homes per year in response to a housing shortage, the same target set for her predecessor. The coalition agreement included €1 billion in yearly funding for that purpose for the next five years.[18][19] In December 2024, Keijzer organized a housing summit at which an agreement was struck with organizations representing lower governments, housing corporations, investors, developers, and the construction industry. It included expedited construction of 75,000 housing units in several locations. The signatories committed to cooperating more closely, while the government would reduce regulations. The agreement reaffirmed the requirement of Keijzer's predecessor that two thirds of new construction should be affordable, despite opposition from the private sector. However, the restriction would be enforced regionally instead of for every project.[20][21]

Personal life

[edit]

Keijzer is married to a urologist and has five sons.[4] She lives in Ilpendam and belongs to the Catholic Church. Her father-in-law is a former alderman of Waterland for the CDA.

Electoral history

[edit]
Electoral history of Mona Keijzer
Year Body Party Pos. Votes Result Ref.
Party seats Individual
2010 House of Representatives Christian Democratic Appeal 67 442 21 Lost [22]
2012 House of Representatives 2 127,446 13 Won [23]
2017 House of Representatives 2 165,384 19 Won [24]
2021 House of Representatives 7 18,031 15 Won [25]
2023 House of Representatives Farmer–Citizen Movement 2 43,005 7 Won [26]

Notes

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  1. ^ As minister without portfolio

References

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  1. ^ Zaken, Ministerie van Algemene (2 July 2024). "Mona Keijzer - Rijksoverheid.nl". www.rijksoverheid.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 2 July 2024.
  2. ^ a b Verweij, Elodie; Keultjes, Hanneke (18 June 2024). "Ontslagen staatssecretaris straks op bordes als vicepremier: 'Mona Keijzer denkt bij alles: hier ben ik het beste in'" [Fired as state secretary and later sworn in as deputy prime minister: 'Mona Keijzer always believes: This is what I can do best']. Algemeen Dagblad (in Dutch). Retrieved 23 June 2024.
  3. ^ Keijzer, Mona (27 October 2024). "Mona Keijzer over ontslag door Rutte: 'Ik zei: nee, ik stap niet op. Dat is de Volendammer in me'" [Mona Keijzer about firing by Rutte: 'I said: No, I won't resign. That is the Volendammer in me']. Algemeen Dagblad (Interview) (in Dutch). Interviewed by Niels Klaassen. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
  4. ^ a b c "Mona Keijzer, weggestuurd door Rutte, nu vicepremier" [Mona Keijzer, dismissed by Rutte, now deputy prime minister]. NOS (in Dutch). 13 June 2024. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
  5. ^ "Mr.Drs. M.C.G. (Mona) Keijzer". Parlement.com (in Dutch). Retrieved 8 February 2022.
  6. ^ Mathieu Rosemain and Douglas Busvine (15 October 2020), France, Netherlands call for an EU watchdog to regulate tech giants Reuters.
  7. ^ "Ontslag Mona Keijzer: Hoekstra betreurt situatie, ook begrip voor staatssecretaris". nos.nl (in Dutch). 25 September 2021. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
  8. ^ "Achtergrond: Ontslag van bewindspersonen op staande voet is zeer uitzonderlijk". www.montesquieu-instituut.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 28 September 2021.
  9. ^ "Wat speelde er achter de schermen rond Keijzer, en hoe kon het zover komen?". nos.nl (in Dutch). 25 September 2021. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
  10. ^ "Mona Keijzer geeft Kamerzetel op en verlaat daarmee landelijke politiek". 27 September 2021. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
  11. ^ "BBB schuift Mona Keijzer naar voren als premierskandidaat". nos.nl (in Dutch). 1 September 2023. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
  12. ^ De Koning, Petra; Valk, Guus (13 May 2024). "Uitstel kan niet meer in de formatie" [No delays possible in the formation]. NRC (in Dutch). Retrieved 14 May 2024.
  13. ^ "Mona Keijzer". Farmer–Citizen Movement (in Dutch). Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  14. ^ Aharouay, Lamyae; Valk, Guus (30 April 2024). "Mona Keijzer: 'Ik ben nog lang niet klaar met Eric van der Burg. Heeft hij ze wel allemaal op een rijtje?'" [Mona Keijzer: 'I'm really not finished with Eric van der Burg. Does he even know what he's doing?']. NRC (in Dutch). Retrieved 1 May 2024.
  15. ^ Hofs, Yvonne (12 July 2024). "OM: Mona Keijzer wordt niet vervolgd voor haar 'onnodig grievende' uitspraken over moslims" [Public Prosecution Service: Mona Keijzer will not be prosecuted for her 'unnecessarily offensive' remarks about Muslims]. de Volkskrant (in Dutch). Retrieved 13 July 2024.
  16. ^ Hendrickx, Frank (14 December 2024). "Van groepsbelediging beschuldigde Keijzer wil OM laten terugfluiten vanwege 'stigmatisering'" [Accused of group insult, Keijzer wants to blow the whistle on the Public Prosecution Service because of 'stigmaitization']. de Volkskrant (in Dutch). Retrieved 15 December 2024.
  17. ^ "Ministers en staatssecretarissen kabinet-Schoof beëdigd" [Ministers and state secretaries of Schoof cabinet sworn in]. NOS (in Dutch). 2 July 2024. Retrieved 2 July 2024.
  18. ^ Knoop, Bas; Wolzak, Martine (5 September 2024). "Hoe anders gaat Mona Keijzer het woningtekort aanpakken?" [How differently will Mona Keijzer tackle the housing shortage?]. Het Financieele Dagblad (in Dutch). Retrieved 9 September 2024.
  19. ^ "Kabinet ambitieus over asiel en bouwen, maar stuit bij mest op grenzen" [Cabinet ambitious on asylum and construction, but is constrained on manure]. NOS (in Dutch). 13 September 2024. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
  20. ^ Vestergaard, Renol; Wolzak, Martine (11 December 2024). "Woonminister Keijzer is klaar met de discussie over betaalbare nieuwbouw" [Housing minister Keijzer is done with the debate on affordable new construction]. Het Financieele Dagblad (in Dutch). Retrieved 13 December 2024.
  21. ^ Klumpenaar, Sjoerd; König, Eppo (11 December 2024). "'Applaus voor de woningzoekenden', klinkt het op de woontop van het kabinet" ['Applause for the house seekers', is what it sounds like at the cabinet's housing summit]. NRC (in Dutch). Retrieved 13 December 2024.
  22. ^ "Uitslag Tweede Kamerverkiezing 2010" [Results 2010 general election] (PDF). Dutch Electoral Council (in Dutch). 16 June 2010. pp. 15–16. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
  23. ^ "Uitslag Tweede Kamerverkiezing 2012" [Results 2012 general election] (PDF). Dutch Electoral Council (in Dutch). 17 September 2012. pp. 64–65. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
  24. ^ "Uitslag Tweede Kamerverkiezing 2017 (getekend exemplaar)" [Results House of Representatives 2017 (signed example)] (PDF). Dutch Electoral Council (in Dutch). 21 March 2017. pp. 78–112, 212. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  25. ^ "Proces-verbaal verkiezingsuitslag Tweede Kamer 2021" [Report of the election results House of Representatives 2021] (PDF). Dutch Electoral Council (in Dutch). 29 March 2021. pp. 22–60, 162. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  26. ^ "Proces-verbaal van de uitslag van de verkiezing van de Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal 2023 d.d. 4 december 2023" [Report of the results of the election of the House of Representatives on 4 December 2023] (PDF). Dutch Electoral Council (in Dutch). 4 December 2023. pp. 125–182, 245. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
Political offices
Preceded by State Secretary for Economic Affairs
and Climate Policy
2017–2021 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Minister of Housing and Spatial Planning
2024–present 		Incumbent
Preceded by Deputy Prime Minister
2024–present
Served alongside: Fleur Agema, Sophie Hermans, and Eddy van Hijum
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