Jan Anthonie Bruijn (VVD) has again been elected chairman of the Senate. The doctor and professor defeated his opponent Mei Li Vos (PvdA), who was a member of parliament on behalf of the PvdA between 2007 and 2010 and between 2012 and 2017. Bruijn said after the vote: “I will do my best to represent all members and for all employees to be a good chairman.”
Bruijn (65) has been President of the Senate since 2019. His re-election was jeopardized two weeks ago when it appeared that he had behaved in an unpleasant and authoritarian manner towards civil servants. Bruijn said he was shocked when he was approached by the clerk, and he “regretted” what had happened. He called his behavior “micromanagement.” In the letter announcing his candidacy, he said he wanted to maintain a “good working relationship” between the civil service and politics. In this way ‘social safety can be guaranteed for all those involved’.
In return for NRC those involved said that Bruijn could sometimes “berate” and “put pressure on” officials. Since the corona crisis, he would be more tense than before. People who have worked with him in recent years have called him “a pietje precise”, “a perfectionist” and “compelling”.