President Ria de Weerd of the Drenthe Elderly Party (DOP) from Emmen has passed away. De Weerd has been chairman of the party since 2015.
Ria de Weerd turned 72 years old. She died Friday afternoon in her hometown of Emmen. The funeral will take place on Thursday.
De Weerd succeeded Ton Schoo in 2015, who took a step back due to health reasons. After years of sitting in the municipal council of Emmen with one or two seats, DOP did not win a council seat during the municipal elections in 2018. In the past elections, the party no longer participated in the elections under its own name, but entered into a partnership with 50PLUS. Due to declining health, De Weerd had already taken it easy in the last two years.
In the past, De Weerd was also a member of the General Board of the Vechtstromen water board. Schoo calls her a connector and praises her sharp analyses. “If there was a threat of disagreement in the party, she was the one who sat down with the parties. Her broad knowledge will also be missed.”