Almost more than half of the posts of the new Dutch government will be filled by women, according to a list of ministers and secretaries of state published by the incoming coalition government on Sunday.
An unprecedented 14 of the 29 ministers and secretaries of state will be women, including 10 of the 20 ministers.
The four-party coalition will be sworn in on Jan. 10 after reaching a deal in December – a record 271 days after elections in March – handing Prime Minister Mark Rutte a fourth term in office.
Dilan Yeşilgöz-Zegerius, born in Turkey's capital Ankara, is set to become minister of justice and security. The 43-year-old, who came to the Netherlands as a girl, was nominated by the center-right People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), to which Rutte also belongs.
Previous finance minister and center-right leader Wopke Hoekstra, known for his hawkish stance on spending, will become the foreign minister. Former foreign minister Sigrid Kaag will replace him in the exchequer brief.
The finance minister's appointment is closely watched as the Netherlands is seen as one of the European Union's "frugal four" member states alongside Austria, Denmark and Sweden that clash with other nations over the EU's budget.
Ernst Kuipers, who was responsible for moving coronavirus patients around the country, will replace Hugo de Jonge as health minister. The current minister of the interior, Kajsa Ollongren, will become the new defense minister.
After the longest coalition negotiations in Dutch history, the four governing parties that made up the old government – as well as the next one – presented their coalition agreement in December. The parties have agreed to invest billions in the fight against climate change and to reform housing and social policy.
