GroenLinks leader Femke Halsema is leaving politics at the Christmas break, she told a news conference on Friday.

Halsema took over the party leadership in 2002 and has been an MP since 1998. She will be replaced by Jolande Sap.
In a statement, Halsema said she considered her work was now done.
‘I could stay on for longer but that would reduce the time [until the next general election] for my successor. My time has come,’ Halsema said.

Voters
Halsema denied her decision to step down six months after the general election was deceiving voters. ‘Everyone knew this would be my last term and that at a certain point I would hand over,’ she said.
GroenLinks took 10 seats in the June vote. Halsema is known to have been disappointed that plans to form a broad ruling coalition between the two Liberal parties, GroenLinks and Labour failed.
Halsema now has some teaching lined up as a visiting professor and plans to ‘write a book, paint the kitchen and enjoy my midlife crisis’.
Tributes
Politicians from across the political spectrum paid tribute to Halsema.
Prime minister Mark Rutte described her as ‘formidable’ and ‘a really nice person’.
Parliament is losing an expert, and a tactical debater, Socialist Party leader Emile Roemer told Nos tv.
Kees van der Staaij, leader of the fundamentalist Christian SGP said he was surprised by the news. Halsema is a ‘passionate and expert politician,’ he said. ‘Tough but fair.
Halsema’s successor Jolande Sap, 47, became an MP in 2008. She was chosen unanimously by GroenLinks MPs on Thursday night.