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Pieter Omtzigt

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Pieter Omtzigt
Omtzigt in 2019
Leader of New Social Contract
Incumbent
Assumed office
19 August 2023
Preceded byPosition established
Member of the House of Representatives
Incumbent
Assumed office
26 October 2010
In office
3 June 2003 – 17 June 2010
Personal details
Born
Pieter Herman Omtzigt

(1974-01-08) 8 January 1974 (age 50)
The Hague, Netherlands
Political partyNSC (2023–present)
Other political
affiliations		CDA (until 2021)
Independent (2021–2023)
Spouse
Ayfer Koç
​
(m. 2009)​
Children4
EducationUniversity of Exeter (BA)
European University Institute (PhD)

Pieter Herman Omtzigt (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈpitər ˈɦɛrmɑn ˈɔmtsɪxt]; born 8 January 1974) is a Dutch politician who has served as a member of the House of Representatives since 2003 apart from a short interruption between June and October 2010.[1] He was member of the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA), but left in 2021 and continued as independent.[2] In August 2023, he founded a new party called New Social Contract, its name taken from his 2021 manifesto.[3] Three months later, his party won 20 out of 150 seats in the 2023 Dutch general election.

In his political work, Omtzigt focuses on matters of taxes and pensions. He rose to prominence for his role in bringing attention to the childcare benefits scandal.[4]

Early life and education

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Omtzigt was born in The Hague, Netherlands in 1974, as one of twins. His father Jan Omtzigt (1939-2019) was a civil servant at the Dutch state telecommunications company PTT and later director of a Roman Catholic retirement house in Zenderen.[5] When he was four years old, Omtzigt moved with his parents and brothers from Wassenaar to Borne.[6] He attended the gymnasium school in Hengelo.

From 1992 to 1996, Omtzigt studied at the University of Exeter (Devon, England), where he obtained his BA degree in Economics and Statistics with European Studies. In the meantime, he did a student exchange program at the LUISS University (Rome, Italy) from 1994 to 1995. During his studies, Omtzigt was also a board member of the youth department of the Dutch Christian trade union CNV between 1991 and 1993. He performed his doctoral research at the European University Institute (Florence, Italy), where he obtained a PhD in Economics in 2003, with the dissertation titled Essays in Cointegration Analysis.[7] Omtzigt was a researcher at the University of Insubria (Varese, Italy) from 2000 to 2002. From 2002 he was a post-doctoral researcher at the Quantitative Economics department of the University of Amsterdam.[8]

Political career

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Christian Democratic Appeal

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In parliament, Omtzigt currently serves on the Committees on European Affairs, Foreign Affairs, Housing and Kingdom Services, Social Affairs and Employment, Finance and Public Expenditure. From 2017, he served as the parliament's rapporteur on Brexit.[9]

From 2019, Omtzigt, together with Member of Parliament Renske Leijten (SP), stood up for affected parents in the childcare benefits scandal in which more than 20,000 families were wronged when applying for childcare allowance. In the end, civil servants and (former) ministers were heard by the parliamentary questioning committee on Childcare Allowance, which ultimately led to the fall of the third Rutte cabinet in January 2021.

In July 2020, Omtzigt was defeated by Deputy Prime Minister Hugo de Jonge in a vote for the position of leader of the Christian Democratic Appeal. Omtzigt was re-elected in the 2021 general election, winning 342,472 preference votes, more than any other non-party leader.[10] Following the election, Omtzigt took time off, after complaining of exhaustion.[11] Despite his leave, he decided to attend his installation on 31 March 2021.[12]

On 25 March 2021, confidential notes from the government formation were revealed to include, among other things, "position Omtzigt, function elsewhere" (Dutch: "positie Omtzigt, functie elders").[13] This prompted a heated debate in parliament and an impasse in the government formation.[14] Amid the continuous news, Omtzigt took a formal leave of absence of four months starting on 25 May. He was temporarily replaced as a member of parliament by Henri Bontenbal.[15]

New Social Contract

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On 10 June 2021 a 78-page memo by Omtzigt was leaked, addressed to the CDA's Spies-committee that analysed the results of the parliamentary elections of March 2021. Omtzigt lashed out hard at the CDA, group employees and CDA members of parliament who were not named and wrote that he was promised the leadership of the party if Hugo de Jonge would withdraw as party leader. After De Jonge's departure, however, the party leadership was offered to Wopke Hoekstra. According to Omtzigt, that was completely beyond his control. According to Omtzigt, political party members and members of the House of Representatives have described him as a "psychopath, sick man, rabid dog, jerk, disturbed" and "unstable". Some of those claims were added to the memo by Omtzigt in a WhatsApp screenshot. Two days later, Omtzigt announced that he had left the CDA, and that he would continue as an independent member of parliament after his leave of absence.[16] On 15 September 2021, Omtzigt returned to the Dutch House of Representatives as a member of a one-person parliamentary group under the name Member Omtzigt. In an interview with De Twentsche Courant Tubantia a week earlier, Omtzigt had indicated that he ruled out a return to the CDA.[17]

On 20 August 2023, Omtzigt announced his participation in the early Dutch parliamentary elections scheduled for 22 November 2023, with the party New Social Contract (NSC).[18] The party entered the House as the fourth largest with twenty seats, and Omtzigt expressed his unwillingness to negotiate about forming a governing coalition with the right-wing populist Party for Freedom (PVV), the election winner, as he believed the party did not respect the rule of law. As part of the cabinet formation, Omtzigt entered talks under informateur Ronald Plasterk with the PVV, VVD, and BBB to address those concerns.[19] He finally left open the possibility to enter into an extraparliamentary cabinet, but he stepped out of the negotiations in February 2024, citing disagreements about finances.[19][20] Omtzigt rejoined talks under a new informateur, and a coalition agreement to form the Schoof cabinet was reached on 16 May 2024.[19] In the House of Representatives, Omtzigt has served as parliamentary leader and as spokesperson for European affairs, general affairs, the Dutch royal house, media, and culture.[21][22]

In September 2024, he took a step back from politics as he was experiencing symptoms of an occupational burnout, intending to stay away for a few weeks. His responsibilities as parliamentary leader were taken over by Nicolien van Vroonhoven, ahead of the yearly General Political Debate.[23][24] De Telegraaf had reported weeks before that Omtzigt had cried and screamed during talks between coalition parties and the cabinet.[23] According to an EenVandaag poll, 48% of NSC voters did not want Omtzigt to returns as parliamentary leader. While supporters appreciated his ethics and expertise on issues, they expressed concerns about his decision-making and ability to negotiate deals.[25] Omtzigt started a phased return to the House in late November.[26]

Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe

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Omtzigt in 2006

In addition to his role in parliament, Omtzigt has been serving as member of the Dutch delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) since 2004. He is currently a member of the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights; the Committee on the Honouring of Obligations and Commitments by Member States of the Council of Europe (Monitoring Committee); the Sub-Committee on Human Rights; the Sub-Committee on the implementation of judgments of the European Court of Human Rights; and the Sub-Committee on the Rights of Minorities.

In his capacity at the Parliamentary Assembly, Omtzigt has served as the Assembly's rapporteur on mass surveillance since 2014.[27] He has also been the Parliamentary Assembly's General Rapporteur on the protection of whistleblowers since 2021.[28]

Omtzigt has also served as rapporteur on the case of the car bombing of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia (2018),[29] justice for the victims of ISIL (2019);[30] and on Poland (2019).[31] Between 2016 and 2017, he prepared the Assembly's proposal on an Investment Court System (ICS) for arbitrating in commercial disputes between states and foreign investors.[32]

Political positions

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Omtzigt was long seen as representative of the CDA's Eurosceptic wing. He has been critical of European Central Bank policies and, in 2020, pushed his party to support the idea of the Netherlands opting-out of unwanted EU programs.[33] During the campaign for the 2023 Dutch general election, Omtzigt positioned himself as a centrist: conservative on immigration and climate change but leftist on reducing poverty and improving healthcare.[34] At EW's 2024 HJ Schoo speech, Omtzigt advocated for a social market economy, arguing that the role of the national government should be enlarged. He believed the government should be less constrained by the EU, and he called for a revision of the tax system to favor large corporations less. In the same speech, Omtzigt drew attention to low birth rates in the Netherlands and other European countries. He suggested this might require more labor migration from outside of Europe, and he said that "its geopolitical implications [would be] difficult to underestimate."[35][36]

In 2024, he called the ministerial responsibility that the Dutch cabinet has for acts by the Dutch royal family problematic. He suggested that either the responsibility should be curtailed or its family members should only perform ceremonial duties. Omtzigt cited the involvement of Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands in the aftermath of the childcare benefits scandal and the work of Queen Máxima of the Netherlands for the Secretary-General of the United Nations.[37]

Controversy

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In 2017, media in the Netherlands described how fake news reports of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crash were propagated with the support of Omtzigt who introduced a Russian man as an "eyewitness" of the crash on a public expert debate in May 2017. The man, who was an asylum-seeker from Ukraine, never witnessed the crash, and his speech, texted to him by Omtzigt prior to the interview, repeated one of the Russia-promoted versions of Mig jets downing the Boeing. Shortly thereafter, journalists determined that the man had not been at home on the night of the crash and he had already been interviewed by officials who had discounted him as a witness.[38][39][40] He acknowledged via Twitter that he had acted carelessly and a few days later resigned as the spokesperson for the MH17 file.

Personal life

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Omtzigt married Ayfer Koç in 2009 and they have two children.[41] He also has two step-children. He is a Catholic and says he is inspired by Catholic social teaching; he also used to be a friend of Bishop Martinus Patrus Maria Muskens of Breda.[42]

Omtzigt and his family live in Enschede.[34]

Electoral history

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Electoral history of Pieter Omtzigt
Year Body Party Pos. Votes Result Ref.
Party seats Individual
2003 House of Representatives Christian Democratic Appeal 51 1,010 44 Lost[a] [43]
2006 House of Representatives Christian Democratic Appeal 37 1,934 41 Won [44]
2010 House of Representatives Christian Democratic Appeal 29 4,718 21 Lost[a] [45]
2012 House of Representatives Christian Democratic Appeal 39 36,750 13 Won[b] [46]
2017 House of Representatives Christian Democratic Appeal 4 97,638 19 Won [47]
2021 House of Representatives Christian Democratic Appeal 2 342,472 15 Won [48]
2023 House of Representatives New Social Contract 1 1,203,181 20 Won [49]

Publications

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  • Omtzigt, Pieter (23 February 2021). Een nieuw sociaal contract (in Dutch). Prometheus, Uitgeverij. ISBN 978-90-446-4882-9
  • Naar een beter bestuur van en voor Nederland
  • Essays on Cointegration Analysis
  • Omtzigt, Pieter; Tozman, Markus K.; Tyndall, Andrea (2012). The Slow Disappearance of the Syriacs from Turkey and of the Grounds of the Mor Gabriel Monastery. LIT Verlag Münster. ISBN 978-3-643-90268-9

Notes

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  1. ^ a b Omtzigt was appointed to the body later during the term due to a vacancy.
  2. ^ Omtzigt received enough preference votes to be elected despite his party's result.

References

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  1. ^ "Pieter Omtzigt". House of Representatives. 14 April 2015. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
  2. ^ "Dr. P.H. (Pieter) Omtzig t". Parlement & Politiek (in Dutch). Retrieved 14 November 2017.
  3. ^ Adams, Kelly (20 August 2023). "Pieter Omtzigt begint eigen partij en doet mee aan de verkiezingen". Algemeen Dagblad (in Dutch).
  4. ^ Meeus, Tom-Jan (29 January 2021). "The man defying Mark Rutte". POLITICO. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  5. ^ "Diaken J.C.J. Omtzigt passed away". aartsbisdom.nl. 12 March 2019. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
  6. ^ "Omtzigt's own party wants to change the administrative culture in The Hague - but don't expect easy one-liners". trouw.nl. 20 August 2023. Archived from the original on 20 August 2023. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
  7. ^ ECO Theses: Essays on Cointegration Analysis - research repository website Cadmus of the European University Institute
  8. ^ Biografie, education and career of Pieter Omtzigt - website of the House of Representatives
  9. ^ Toby Sterling (February 16, 2018), Dutch to hire 750 new customs agents before Brexit Reuters.
  10. ^ "Ruim 342.000 stemmen voor Omtzigt, goed voor bijna vijf Kamerzetels". NOS.nl (in Dutch). 26 March 2021. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  11. ^ Mike Corder (1 April 2021), Dutch PM Rutte fights for his political life in tough debate Washington Post.
  12. ^ "CDA-Kamerlid Omtzigt komt morgen naar Tweede Kamer voor beëdiging". NOS.nl (in Dutch). 30 March 2021. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  13. ^ "Ollongren biedt inkijkje: 'functie elders' voor Omtzigt". De Telegraaf (in Dutch). 25 March 2021. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  14. ^ "Rutte afgestraft in Kamer, maar wil vertrouwen terugwinnen". Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (in Dutch). 2 April 2021. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
  15. ^ "CDA'er Pieter Omtzigt wordt tijdelijk vervangen als Kamerlid". NOS.nl (in Dutch). 25 May 2021. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  16. ^ "Tweede Kamerlid Omtzigt stapt uit CDA". NOS (in Dutch). 12 June 2021. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
  17. ^ https://www.tubantia.nl/enschede/terugkeer-naar-cda-uitgesloten-omtzigt-gooit-deur-dicht-in-exclusief-interview~a98a48eb/?referrer=https://nl.wikipedia.org/. Retrieved 9 February 2024. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  18. ^ https://www.tubantia.nl/enschede/pieter-omtzigt-over-deelname-aan-verkiezingen-de-grootste-worden-is-niet-het-doel~a61d707d/. Retrieved 9 February 2024. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  19. ^ a b c Righton, Natalie (28 June 2024). "Nee, nee, nee, zei Omtzigt maandenlang over samenwerken met de PVV. Hoe werd het ja?" [No, no, no was what Omtzigt was telling about working with the PVV for months. How did it turn into yes?]. de Volkskrant (in Dutch). Retrieved 30 June 2024.
  20. ^ De Koning, Petra; Valk, Guus (14 May 2024). "Het moeilijkste bewaren ze in de formatie voor het laatst" [The most difficult issue is kept for the end in the formation]. NRC (in Dutch). Retrieved 20 May 2024.
  21. ^ "Woordvoerderschappen Nieuw Sociaal Contract" [New Social Contract spokespersonships] (PDF). New Social Contract (in Dutch). Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 January 2024 – via Wayback Machine.
  22. ^ "Tweede Kamerfractie" [House of Representatives group]. New Social Contract (in Dutch). Retrieved 17 November 2024.
  23. ^ a b "NSC-leider Pieter Omtzigt doet tijdelijk stap terug" [NSC leader Pieter Omtzigt takes a step back]. NOS (in Dutch). 11 September 2024. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
  24. ^ Cite error: The named reference nos2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  25. ^ Lubbe, Rozemarijn (24 September 2024). "NSC verliest fors in zetelpeiling, veel kiezers willen andere rol voor Pieter Omtzigt" [NSC loses much ground in poll, many voters want a different role for Pieter Omtzigt]. EenVandaag (in Dutch). Retrieved 25 September 2024.
  26. ^ "NSC-leider Omtzigt per direct terug in de Kamer, maar nog niet fulltime" [NSC leader Omtzigt immediately returns to House, but not yet full-time]. NOS (in Dutch). 20 November 2024. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
  27. ^ Call on UK to investigate spying on human rights groups by UK secret services Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, press release of 14 July 2015.
  28. ^ Pieter Omtzigt: new whistleblower protection law in Malta ‘not fit for purpose’ Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, press release of 20 December 2021.
  29. ^ CPJ welcomes Council of Europe's appointment of Omtzigt as special rapporteur on Malta case Committee to Protect Journalists, press release of 23 April 2018.
  30. ^ Rapporteur calls for assurances that developments in Syria will not jeopardise justice for the victims of Daesh Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, press release of 11 October 2019.
  31. ^ Rapporteurs closely follow challenges to Polish Senate election result Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, press release of 24 October 2019.
  32. ^ Investment court system a ‘reasonable compromise’ for arbitrating disputes between states and foreign investors Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, press release of 27 January 2017.
  33. ^ Tom-Jan Meeus (January 29, 2021), The man defying Mark Rutte Politico Europe.
  34. ^ a b Stephanie van den Berg (16 November 2023), Dutch PM candidates include Turkish immigrant, 'radical centrist', EU veteran Reuters.
  35. ^ "Omtzigt in lezing: taken terughalen uit Brussel en debat over geboortecijfers" [Omtzigt in speech: Regain control from Brussels and debate about birth rates]. NOS (in Dutch). 2 September 2024. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
  36. ^ Righton, Natalie (2 September 2024). "Omtzigt noemt laag geboortecijfer Nederland een probleem met 'geopolitieke implicaties'" [Omtzigt calls low birth rate in the Netherlands a problem with 'geopolitical implications']. de Volkskrant (in Dutch). Retrieved 3 September 2024.
  37. ^ Meijer, Remco (24 July 2024). "Omtzigt wil discussie over maatschappelijke taken van het Koninklijk Huis: Rutte was 'te lichtvaardig'" [Omtzigt wants discussion about the role of the royal family in society: Rutte's approach 'too thoughtless']. de Volkskrant (in Dutch). Retrieved 24 July 2024.
  38. ^ "Hoe twijfel rond MH17 in de hand wordt gewerkt". NRC (in Dutch). Retrieved 13 November 2017.
  39. ^ "Omtzigt faces calls to quit over 'fake witness' who spoke at MH17 meeting". DutchNews.nl. 13 November 2017. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  40. ^ "Labour stalwart says he edited Dutch MP's Wikipedia page". Times of Malta. 24 January 2020. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  41. ^ Staal, Teun (6 March 2021). "Inspirerend leider Ayfer Koç uit Enschede is veel meer dan de vrouw van Pieter Omtzigt". Tubantia.
  42. ^ Munsterman, Hendro (1 September 2023). "Hoe katholiek is de partij van Omtzigt? Aan de basis ervan staat 'het best bewaarde geheim van de kerk'". Nederlands Dagblad (in Dutch).
  43. ^ "Proces-verbaal zitting Kiesraad uitslag Tweede Kamerverkiezing 2003" [Records meeting Duch Electoral Council results 2003 general election] (PDF). Dutch Electoral Council (in Dutch). 22 January 2003. pp. 19–20. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
  44. ^ "Proces-verbaal zitting Kiesraad uitslag Tweede Kamerverkiezing 2006" [Records meeting Duch Electoral Council results 2006 general election] (PDF). Dutch Electoral Council (in Dutch). 27 November 2006. pp. 18–19. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
  45. ^ "Uitslag Tweede Kamerverkiezing 2010" [Results 2010 general election] (PDF). Dutch Electoral Council (in Dutch). 16 June 2010. pp. 14–15. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
  46. ^ "Uitslag Tweede Kamerverkiezing 2012" [Results 2012 general election] (PDF). Dutch Electoral Council (in Dutch). 17 September 2012. pp. 64–65, 150. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
  47. ^ "Uitslag Tweede Kamerverkiezing 2017 (getekend exemplaar)" [Results House of Representatives 2017 (signed example)] (PDF). Dutch Electoral Council (in Dutch). 21 March 2017. pp. 78–112, 212. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  48. ^ "Proces-verbaal verkiezingsuitslag Tweede Kamer 2021" [Report of the election results House of Representatives 2021] (PDF). Dutch Electoral Council (in Dutch). 29 March 2021. pp. 22–60, 162. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  49. ^ "Proces-verbaal van de uitslag van de verkiezing van de Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal 2023 d.d. 4 december 2023" [Report of the results of the election of the House of Representatives on 4 December 2023] (PDF). Dutch Electoral Council (in Dutch). 4 December 2023. pp. 185–186. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
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