Politics

Outgoing Dutch PM Rutte hopes Dilan Yeşilgöz-Zegerius wins future elections

The outgoing Dutch PM said he obviously hopes that Yeşilgöz-Zegerius will become the next PM, “but it's up to the electorate.”

Wladimir van Wilgenburg 2023/07/19 13:13

Outgoing Dutch PM Mark Rutte speaking to Kurdistan 24 in Brussels, July 18, 2023. (Photo: Kurdistan 24)

Kurdistan Dilan Yesilgöz-Zegerius Mark Rutte Netherlands

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Outgoing Dutch PM Mark Rutte told Kurdistan 24 that he hopes Dilan Yeşilgöz-Zegerius, a nominee to lead the liberal-conservative People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) party, will win in the upcoming Dutch elections this autumn.

The outgoing Dutch PM Rutte said he obviously hopes that Yeşilgöz-Zegerius will become the next PM, “but it's up to the electorate.”

“She is from my party, and she’s the best, but we will see what happens,” he told Kurdistan 24 correspondent Barzan Hassan on Wednesday.

Dutch Minister of Justice and Security Dilan Yeşilgöz-Zegerius, a Dutch citizen with a Kurdish background, on July 12 announced she wants to lead the liberal-conservative People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) party in elections this autumn.

The Dutch newspaper Volkskrant on Monday reported that Yeşilgöz-Zegerius is the only candidate left for the VVD. Therefore, it is most likely she will lead the VVD in the upcoming elections.

If chosen by the VVD leadership and members, Dilan Yeşilgöz-Zegerius will have to contend with rival parties in the elections following the government's dissolution.

Outgoing VVD leader and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s coalition government earlier this month fell apart over its asylum policies.

He said will continue to lead a temporary transitional government until elections are held, and added that he did not express interest in continuing to lead the VVD party.

Born in Ankara in 1977, Dilan Yesilgöz-Zegerius married René Zegerius in the Netherlands, where she has spent most of here life. Her father, Yücel Yesilgöz, was a Kurdish native of Dersim and he sought refuge in the Netherlands after a Turkish military coup in 1984.

As a member of the VVD, Dilan Yesilgöz-Zegerius rapidly advanced in her political career in the Netherlands and is currently the Minister of Justice and Security. As Dutch Minister, she also visited the Kurdistan Region for a two-day trip in May 2022, where she met with top leaders to discuss ISIS crimes and possibilities to collect evidence to prosecute ISIS members.