Fourth Balkenende cabinet

Fourth Balkenende cabinet

Cabinet of the Netherlands
The installation of the fourth Balkenende cabinet on 22 February 2007
Date formed22 February 2007 (2007-02-22)
Date dissolved14 October 2010 (2010-10-14)
3 years, 234 days in office
(Demissionary from 20 February 2010 (2010-02-20))
People and organisations
Head of stateQueen Beatrix
Head of governmentJan Peter Balkenende
Deputy head of governmentWouter Bos
André Rouvoet
No. of ministers16
Ministers removed7
Total no. of members19
Member partyChristian Democratic Appeal
(CDA)
Labour Party
(PvdA)
Christian Union
(CU)
Status in legislatureCentrist
Majority government
(Grand coalition)
History
Election2006 election
Outgoing election2010 election
Legislature terms2006–2010
Incoming formation2006–2007 formation
Outgoing formation2010 formation
PredecessorThird Balkenende cabinet
SuccessorFirst Rutte cabinet

The fourth Balkenende cabinet was the executive branch of the Government of the Netherlands from 22 February 2007 until 14 October 2010. The cabinet was formed by the Christian-democratic Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) and Christian Union (CU) and the social-democratic Labour Party (PvdA) after the election of 2006. The cabinet was a centrist grand coalition and had a slim majority in the House of Representatives with Christian Democratic Leader Jan Peter Balkenende serving as prime minister. Labour Leader Wouter Bos served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance while Social Christian Leader André Rouvoet served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister without Portfolio for Health, Welfare and Sport.

The cabinet served during the unstable late 2000s; domestically it had to deal with the financial crisis of 2008 and major reforms to the education system, while internationally, it had to deal with the war on terror and the government support for the Task Force Uruzgan. The cabinet suffered several major internal conflicts including multiple cabinet resignations. The cabinet fell prematurely on 20 February 2010 after the Labour Party refused to support an extension of the Task Force Uruzgan mission with the Labour Party cabinet members resigning on 23 February 2010, and the cabinet continued in a demissionary capacity until it was replaced after the election of 2010.