The great ministerial carve-up

It now seems increasingly likely the Netherlands will have a new cabinet in a few days’ time and speculation is mounting about how the ministerial positions will be divided up.


Most newspapers agree the new cabinet will have 12 ministerial positions in addition to the prime minister with one newly created post. The VVD will provide six ministers alongside prime minister Mark Rutte.
This is how the Volkskrant, nu.nl and Telegraaf think the new cabinet will look:

  • Prime minister: Mark Rutte (VVD)
  • Deputy prime minister and social affairs or education: Lodewijk Asscher (PvdA)
  • Finance: Jeroen Dijsselbloem (PvdA)
  • Justice: Ivo Opstelten (VVD, unchanged)
  • Health: Edith Schippers (VVD, unchanged)
  • Infrastructure: Melanie Schultz (VVD, unchanged)
  • Education or social affairs: Jet Bussemaker (PvdA)
  • Home affairs: Ronald Plasterk (PvdA)
  • Foreign affairs: Frans Timmermans (PvdA)
  • Foreign trade and development aid: Lilianne Ploumen (PvdA)
  • Economic affairs: Henk Kamp or Stef Blok (VVD)
  • Defence: Henk Kamp or Stef Blok (VVD)
  • Housing and government services: ? (VVD)
    The papers expect four of the VVD ministers in the current cabinet will return – none of whom stood for election as MPs. Stef Blok currently leads the VVD in parliament.
    Four of the Labour candidates are MPs. Lodewijk Asscher is a council executive in Amsterdam and Lilianne Ploumen is the former Labour party chairwoman.
    No names have yet been put forward for the new ministerial post of housing and government services.
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