Six prospective members of the new cabinet studied in Leiden
The Rutte IV cabinet will be sworn in soon. A fifth of the prospective ministers and secretaries of state studied in Leiden. Who are they and what did they study?
As with Rutte III, six cabinet ministers have a degree from Leiden, which means that the University is once again a key supplier to the cabinet. Prime Minister Marke Rutte studied History in Leiden. And alumnus Wopke Hoekstra (CDA) is returning to the cabinet, this time in the role of Minster of Foreign Affairs. He studied history and Dutch law here in Leiden. On the traditional photo on the steps of royal palace Huis ten Bosch in The Hague, the new cabinet ministers stand alongside King Willem-Alexander, who studied history in Leiden.
Several law graduates
There will be more law graduates from Leiden in the cabinet. Liesje Schreinemacher (VVD) is the prospective Minister of Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation. She did her bachelor’s degree at the University of Amsterdam and her master’s in law at Leiden. Marnix van Rij (CDA), the proposed state secretary for Tax Affairs, also studied law here.
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Wopke Hoekstra. Photo: Jiri Büller -
Liesje Schreinemacher. Photo: CC BY-NC-ND @ALDE Party -
Marnix van Rij. Photo: CDA -
Franc Weerwind. Photo: Max Joling -
Alexandra van Huffelen. Photo: Sebastiaan ter Burg
Public administration
Alexandra van Huffelen (D66) State Secretary for Kingdom Relations and Digitalisation studied public administration. Franc Weerwind, (D66), Minster for Legal Protection, also studied public administration, but although he earned his propaedeutic diploma did not complete his degree.
Honorary doctorate
Robbert Dijkgraaf, the prospective Minister of Education, Culture and Science, studied Physics and Mathematics at Utrecht University. He received an honorary doctorate from Leiden in 2018 for his exceptional services to science, in particular to quantum field theory.
Photo above article: the King and new ministers will soon stand on the steps of Huis ten Bosch. Basic photo Rijksvastgoedbedrijf