After the formation of a new cabinet, CU Deputy Prime Minister Carola Schouten closes the door behind her in political The Hague. She will not return for her party, either in the Chamber or in the cabinet.
“After twelve intense years I will leave politics,” says Schouten. “There is a new generation ready and I know that the ChristenUnie is in good and trusted hands there. It was a great privilege for me to work on our ideals on behalf of and with the people of the ChristenUnie. But now I am passing on that baton, I will no longer be a candidate for the electoral list and will soon leave The Hague.”
Schouten had been active as a politician in The Hague since 2011, initially as a Member of Parliament for six years. She became Minister of Agriculture in the Rutte III cabinet (2017-2022), at a time when farmers’ protests flared up for the first time.
pension system
And in Rutte IV, Schouten entered the cabinet again, this time as Minister for Poverty Policy, Participation and Pensions. In this capacity, she completed the work of her predecessor Wouter Koolmees (D66) and guided the new pension system through the Senate and House of Representatives. Schouten was deputy prime minister on behalf of her party in both cabinets. She was never party leader, that position was filled successively by party leaders Gert-Jan Segers and Mirjam Bikker.