Femke Annechien Zeedijk-Raeven (pronounced [ˈfɛmkə ˈzeːdɛik ˈraːvə(n)]; née Raeven; born 7 February 1974) is a Dutch politician of the New Social Contract (NSC) party.
Femke Zeedijk | |
|---|---|
| Member of the House of Representatives | |
| In office 6 December 2023 – 19 November 2024 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Femke Annechien Raeven 7 February 1974 Utrecht, Netherlands |
| Political party | New Social Contract |
| Residence(s) | Eindhoven, Netherlands |
| Alma mater | University of Utrecht |
Career
editZeedijk studied mathematics, and she worked as a strategic advisor for ASML.[1] She was a municipal councilor for Democrats 66 (D66).[2]
Zeedijk switched to NSC, when it was founded in 2023, and she was elected to the House of Representatives in the 2023 general election.[3] Her focus was on economic affairs, international trade, and development cooperation.[4] During debates on the 2025 budget, Zeedijk argued that the decoupling of the development aid budget from the size of the Dutch economy had not been agreed to by coalition parties. However, she refused to support a motion of the opposition to restore the coupling, opting instead to renegotiate the issue ahead of the upcoming Spring Memorandum, in which budget revisions are included.[5]
On 15 November 2024, State Secretary Nora Achahbar (NSC) resigned, citing "polarizing interactions during the past weeks" in response to Amsterdam attacks targeting supporters of the Israeli football club Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C. Media outlets reported offensive, radical, and potentially racist remarks made during a Council of Ministers meeting, with State Secretary Jurgen Nobel stating afterwards that a significant portion of Islamic youth did not endorse Dutch norms and values, referring to the perpetrators of the attacks.[6][7] A collapse of the Schoof cabinet was averted during crisis talks, where it was decided that no other NSC cabinet members would step down.[8] On 19 November, Zeedijk and Rosanne Hertzberger announced their resignations from the House. Zeedijk, referencing Achahbar's departure, stated that it demonstrated a perception of Dutch-Moroccan individuals as unwelcome. She criticized Prime Minister Dick Schoof and his cabinet for their unwillingness to engage in meaningful self-reflection, adding that for her, "discrimination has been given a face." Zeedijk also expressed frustration with what she described as a lack of civility and constructive solutions in the political arena.[9]
Electoral history
edit| Year | Body | Party | Pos. | Votes | Result | Ref. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party seats | Individual | |||||||
| 2023 | House of Representatives | New Social Contract | 12 | 5,197 | 20 | Won | [10] | |
References
edit- ^ Wichgers, Susan (19 November 2024). "NSC-Kamerleden Rosanne Hertzberger en Femke Zeedijk stoppen. 'Ik wil hier niet meer aan bijdragen'" [NSC MPs Rosanne Hertzberger and Femke Zeedijk quit. 'I no longer want to contribute to this']. Trouw (in Dutch). Retrieved 24 November 2024.
- ^ Bhikhie, Avinash; Hendrickx, Frank (19 November 2024). "Verbitterd vertrekken twee NSC-Kamerleden, rest van fractie gaat met moed der wanhoop verder" [NSC MPs depart bitterly, remainder of the group continues with courage of despair]. de Volkskrant (in Dutch). Retrieved 22 November 2024.
- ^ "Drs. F.A. (Femke) Zeedijk". www.parlement.com (in Dutch). Retrieved 21 December 2023.
- ^ "Tweede Kamerfractie" [House of Representatives group]. New Social Contract (in Dutch). Retrieved 17 November 2024.
- ^ "Coalitie houdt vast aan mes in hulpgeld" [Coalition sticks to aid cuts]. Het Financieele Dagblad (in Dutch). 14 November 2024. Retrieved 15 November 2024.
- ^ Du Pré, Raoul (11 November 2024). "Premier Schoof ziet groot probleem met de integratie: 'Hun gedrag is schokkend, moreel volstrekt ontaard'" [Prime Minister Schoof observes major issue with integration: 'Their behavior is shocking, completely morally corrupt']. de Volkskrant (in Dutch). Retrieved 11 November 2024.
- ^ Hendrickx, Frank; Du Pré, Raoul (15 November 2024). "Integratiedebat brengt verdeeld kabinet-Schoof aan het wankelen" [Integration debate causes divided Schoof cabinet to shake]. de Volkskrant (in Dutch). Retrieved 16 November 2024.
- ^ "Kabinet-Schoof bleef na crisisberaad overeind, maar 'schade is behoorlijk groot'" [Schoof cabinet did not collapse due to crisis talks, but 'damage is significant']. RTL Nieuws (in Dutch). 16 November 2024. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
- ^ "Twee NSC-Kamerleden stappen op na vertrek Achahbar, hekelen 'gebrek aan fatsoen'" [Two NSC MPs step down following departure Achahbar, denouncing 'lack of civility']. NOS (in Dutch). 19 November 2024. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
- ^ "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.
See also
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