First Balkenende cabinet

First Balkenende cabinet

Cabinet of the Netherlands
The installation of the first Balkenende cabinet on 22 July 2002
Date formed22 July 2002 (2002-07-22)
Date dissolved27 May 2003 (2003-05-27)
(Demissionary from 16 October 2002 (2002-10-16))
People and organisations
MonarchQueen Beatrix
Prime MinisterJan Peter Balkenende
Deputy Prime MinisterEduard Bomhoff (2002)
Johan Remkes
Roelf de Boer (2002–2003)
No. of ministers14
Ministers removed3
Total no. of members14
Member partyChristian Democratic Appeal
(CDA)
Pim Fortuyn List
(LPF)
People's Party for
Freedom and Democracy

(VVD)
Status in legislatureRight-wing
Majority government
History
Election2002 election
Outgoing election2003 election
Legislature terms2002–2003
Incoming formation2002 formation
Outgoing formation2003 formation
PredecessorSecond Kok cabinet
SuccessorSecond Balkenende cabinet

The first Balkenende cabinet was the executive branch of the Netherlands government from 22 July 2002 until 27 May 2003. The cabinet was formed by the Christian-democratic Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA), the nationalistic Pim Fortuyn List (LPF) and the conservative-liberal People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) after the election of 2002. The cabinet was a right-wing coalition and had a substantial majority in the House of Representatives with Christian Democratic Leader Jan Peter Balkenende serving as Prime Minister. Prominent economist Eduard Bomhoff served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport, while prominent Liberal politician Johan Remkes served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations.

The cabinet served during the early unstable 2000s. Domestically, it had to deal with the fallout of the assassination of Pim Fortuyn, and internationally, with the start of the war on terror. The cabinet suffered several major internal conflicts including multiple cabinet resignations. The internal conflicts between the cabinet members of the Pim Fortuyn List led to the fall of the cabinet just 87 days into its term on 16 October 2002 and it continued in a demissionary capacity until it was replaced following the election of 2003.[1]

  1. ^ "LPF" (in Dutch). Andere Tijden. 16 November 2006. Retrieved 11 August 2017.