Ines Kostić (born 21 October 1984) is a Bosnian-born Dutch political scientist and politician of the Party for the Animals (PvdD), who has served as a member of the Provincial Council of North Holland since 2019, and as a member of the House of Representatives since 2023.[1] They are the first non-binary person to have been elected into the House of Representatives.[2]
Ines Kostić | |
|---|---|
| Member of the House of Representatives | |
| Assumed office 6 December 2023 | |
| Member of the Provincial Council of North Holland | |
| Assumed office 28 March 2019 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Ines Kostić 21 October 1984 Mostar, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina, SFR Yugoslavia |
| Political party | Party for the Animals |
| Children | 1 |
| Residence(s) | Hilversum, Netherlands |
| Alma mater | |
Early life
editKostić was born in Mostar in present-day Bosnia and Herzegovina to a Bosnian mother and a Croat-Serb father, and they were raised there.[3][4] At the age of 10, they fled the Bosnian War with their parents, seeking refuge in the Netherlands. From Ter Apel, they were transferred to an asylum seekers' center in The Hague. The family was later assigned a house in Niekerk, located in the Province of Groningen.[3] Kostić obtained a bachelor's degree in art, culture and media studies from the University of Groningen.[1] They subsequently completed a master's programme in political science at the University of Antwerp.[1]
Politicis
editIn May 2017, Kostić became a board member of the Animal Politics Foundation – the international branch of the Party for the Animals.[1] They won a seat in the Provincial Council of North Holland in the 2019 provincial election, and were re-elected in the 2023 provincial election.[1] They were the parliamentary leader of the Party for the Animals in the council.[5]
On 22 November 2023, Kostić ran in the snap general election as the second candidate on the PvdD list, and was elected into the House of Representatives.[6] They were installed as MP on 6 December 2023 as the first non-binary member in Dutch parliamentary history, and they are their party's spokesperson for environment, agriculture, the interior, infrastructure, housing, education, culture, social affairs, and healthcare.[1][3][7] When the right-wing Schoof cabinet was formed, Kostić asked ministers-designate of the populist Party for Freedom (PVV) about their views on the Great Replacement conspiracy theory in response to previous controversial statements. A motion filed by Kostić urging the government to meet nature conservation commitments passed the House with the support of two coalition parties.[5] Later, alongside Dion Graus (PVV), Kostić called for a ban on the trade and ownership of animals prohibited from breeding, such as pugs and Sphynx cats. The House approved their motion, requesting the government to take action.[8][9]
Personal life
editKostić is non-binary, and they are a vegan. As of 2024, they lived in Hilversum with their girlfriend and daughter Iskra.[3]
Electoral history
edit| Year | Body | Party | Pos. | Votes | Result | Ref. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party seats | Individual | |||||||
| 2017 | House of Representatives | Party for the Animals | 28 | 1,377 | 5 | Lost | [10] | |
| 2021 | House of Representatives | Party for the Animals | 12 | 10,013 | 6 | Lost | [11] | |
| 2023 | House of Representatives | Party for the Animals | 2 | 15,232 | 3 | Won | [12] | |
| 2024 | European Parliament | Party for the Animals | 40[a] | 2,544 | 1 | Lost | [13] | |
Notes
edit- ^ Kostić participated as a lijstduwer.
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f "I. (Ines) Kostic MSc". Parlement.com (in Dutch). Retrieved 7 December 2023.
- ^ "Minder stemmen op een vrouw bij Kamerverkiezingen, maar Ines Kostic is wel eerste non-binaire Kamerlid in de geschiedenis". Leidsch Dagblad (in Dutch). 29 November 2023. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
- ^ a b c d Kostić, Ines (31 July 2024). "Non-binair Kamerlid Ines Kostic moest muren zelf breken: 'Zullen we er maar een vrouwtje van maken?'" [Non-binary MP Ines Kostić had to shatter the glass ceiling herself: 'Shall we just write down 'woman'?']. Algemeen Dagblad (Interview) (in Dutch). Interviewed by Wouter Peer. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
- ^ "Interview met Ines Kostic". PINK! (in Dutch). 15 January 2017. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
- ^ a b Kieskamp, Wilma (19 August 2024). "Kamerlid Ines Kostic vluchtte als kind voor oorlog: 'Kijk in de politiek uit voor vijanddenken'" [MP Ines Kostić fled war as a child: 'Beware of enemy thinking in politics']. Trouw (in Dutch). Retrieved 20 August 2024.
- ^ Simonides, Jorik (2 November 2023). "Nummer 2: 'Partij voor de Dieren is van de ondernemersgeest'". BNR (in Dutch). Retrieved 7 December 2023.
- ^ "Ines Kostić". Party for the Animals (in Dutch). Retrieved 24 June 2024.
- ^ "Tweede Kamer wil mopshond en naaktkat weren uit de woonkamer" [House of Representatives wants to keep pugs and Sphynx cats out of living room]. NOS (in Dutch). 22 October 2024. Retrieved 23 October 2024.
- ^ "Motie van de leden Graus en Kostic over een handel- en houdverbod voor dieren die in Nederland niet mogen worden gefokt" [Motion by members Graus and Kostić about a trade and ownership ban for animals prohibited from breeding in the Netherlands]. House of Representatives (in Dutch). 16 October 2024. Retrieved 23 October 2024.
- ^ "Uitslag Tweede Kamerverkiezing 2017 (getekend exemplaar)" [Results House of Representatives 2017 (signed example)] (PDF). Dutch Electoral Council (in Dutch). 21 March 2017. pp. 128–129. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
- ^ "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. 135–136. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
- ^ "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. 105–106. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
- ^ "Proces-verbaal centraal stembureau uitslag verkiezing Europees Parlement Model P22-1" [Central electoral council report of the results of the election of the European Parliament Model P22-1] (PDF). Dutch Electoral Council (in Dutch). 19 June 2024. pp. 19–20, 41. Retrieved 28 July 2024.