He is the outgoing Minister of Defense and acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, suggested cooperation with the PVV and almost a third of the VVD voters would currently find him a suitable party leader: VVD member Ruben Brekelmans from Oisterwijk has worked himself up to the top of his party in a few years. And in these troubled times in The Hague, he is perhaps the most visible of all politicians. But who is the popular politician on the right flank of the VVD?
Brekelmans (1986) grew up in Kaatsheuvel and lives in Oisterwijk. During the summer holidays he worked at Efteling, he said earlier in a campaign film on YouTube. He studied economics at Tilburg University, Global Politics In London and completed his studies with a Master of Public Administration to Harvard.
Minister with the PVV
You could see him as the one who took the door at the VVD of the Slot for collaboration with the PVV: the door that was later opened by party leader Dilan Yesilgöz. Brekelmans argued in an opinion piece for cooperation with the PVV to limit migration. The cooperation came and Brekelmans experienced it up close in the Council of Ministers, until the PVV left the cabinet.
Out Research by RTL News It appears that 32 percent of VVD voters would find Brekelmans a good leader. He is therefore more popular than the current political leader of the VVD, Dilan Yesilgöz. She harvests criticism because of her, according to critics, too hard style.
Although the two in terms of content are not far apart, Brekelmans shows himself in the debate and also more thoughtful in front of the camera than his party leader. He is not tempted by impulsive statements, which his party leader is known for. For that reason, Brekelmans, together with Klaas Dijkhoff from Breda, is often mentioned as an alternative to Yesilgöz. Dijkhoff regularly has to indicate that he no longer wants to go back to The Hague and Brekelmans says he will remain behind Yesilgöz.
As far as he is concerned, she does not have to leave, as it turned out recently in the WNL program Good evening Netherlands:
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The popularity of Brekelmans is probably also partly due to his role as (outgoing) defense minister. His portfolio is visible as a result of the current tensions in the world. Moreover, it is one of the few sites where the cabinet took some concrete actions. Be it mainly on paper for the time being.
Since NSC left the cabinet, Brekelmans has also been acting Minister of Foreign Affairs. On Wednesday, in the debate in the Lower House, about the situation in The Hague, it must become more clear about how the released ministerial posts are distributed. Brekelmans wants to remain Minister of Defense himself. However, it can take a while before a new Foreign Minister has been found. Until then, Brekelmans will therefore be even more visible.
Brekelmans is in 3 of the VVD candidate list for the upcoming elections. First that place 4, but the VVD members managed to get him a place higher on the list. Again a confirmation of his popularity: in the previous elections he was in 6th place.
Just back in time
From 2017 to 2019, Brekelmans was a political assistant of State Secretary Marc Harbers of Justice and Security. After the resignation of this State Secretary, he worked at the ministry on a new shelter system. And from 2020 to March 2021 he worked at the Ministry of Finance.
After the elections in 2021 he made the switch to the Lower House. He became a Member of Parliament for the VVD, the party for which he has been active since he was seventeen. First at the JOVD youth party and later at the VVD. As a Member of Parliament, Brekelmans was mainly concerned with foreign policy and migration. After Russia’s raid in Ukraine, he suggested supplying weapons and to close European airspace for Russian airlines. In 2023 he received the Order of Merit from the Ukrainian President Zensky.
