Cabinet takes shape, rewards abound for party loyalists

Prime minister designate Mark Rutte continued interviewing prospective cabinet ministers on Saturday.


CDA MP Hans Hillen is set to be given the defence job, while Ben Knappen, former editor of the NRC newspaper, will be appointed junior foreign minister, according to most papers.
The VVD’s Uri Rosenthal is poised to be appointed foreign affairs minister.
Rutte, leader of the right-wing VVD, hopes to have finalised his new cabinet of 12 ministers by early next week.
The number of ministries is also being cut by two to 11. Economic affairs will merge with agriculture, while transport and the environment will be combined to form a new ministry of infrastructure and the environment.
Immigration and asylum seekers will fall under home affairs, rather than justice and they will have a separate minister.
Appointments so far, based on newspaper inside information:
Ministers:
Deputy prime minister, and minister for economic affairs, agriculture and innovation: Maxime Verhagen (CDA)
Social affairs and employment: Henk Kamp (VVD)
Home affairs: Piet Hein Donner (CDA)
Security and Justice: Ivo Opstelten (VVD)
Infrastructure and environment: Melanie Schultz van Haegen (VVD)
Defence: Hans Hillen (CDA)
Foreign affairs: Uri Rosenthal (VVD)
Immigration and asylum affairs: Gerd Leers, former Maastricht mayor (CDA)
Education: Marja van Bijsterveld (CDA)
Finance: Jan Kees de Jager (CDA)
Health: Edith Schippers (VVD)
Junior ministers
Junior justice minister: Fred Teeven (CDA)
Junior foreign affairs minister: Ben Knapen (CDA)
Junior social affairs minister: Paul de Krom (VVD)
Junior finance minister: Frans Weekers (VVD)
Junior education minister: Halbe Zijlstra (VVD)
Three junior ministers are still unknown.

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