Marja van Bijsterveldt
Marja van Bijsterveldt in 2010
Mayor of Delft
Assumed office
2 September 2016
Preceded byBas Verkerk
Minister of Education,
Culture and Science
In office
14 October 2010  5 November 2012
Prime MinisterMark Rutte
Preceded byAndré Rouvoet
Succeeded byJet Bussemaker
Member of the House of Representatives
In office
17 June 2010  14 October 2010
Parliamentary groupChristian Democratic Appeal
State Secretary for Education,
Culture and Science
In office
22 February 2007  14 October 2010
Serving with Sharon Dijksma
Prime MinisterJan Peter Balkenende
Preceded byBruno Bruins
Succeeded byHalbe Zijlstra
Chairwoman of the Christian
Democratic Appeal
In office
2 November 2002  22 February 2007
LeaderJan Peter Balkenende
Preceded byBert de Vries
Succeeded byPeter van Heeswijk
Mayor of Schipluiden
In office
16 September 1994  1 January 2003
Preceded byJan Waaijer
Succeeded byJohn de Prieëlle
Personal details
Born
Janneke Marlene Vliegenthart

(1961-06-27) 27 June 1961
Rotterdam, Netherlands
Political partyChristian Democratic Appeal
Spouse
Antoine van Bijsterveldt
(m. 1992)
Children2 children
RelativesArjan Vliegenthart (cousin)
Residence(s)Delft, Netherlands
OccupationPolitician · Civil servant · Nonprofit director · Academic administrator · Nurse

Janneke Marlene "Marja" van Bijsterveldt-Vliegenthart (born 27 June 1961) is a Dutch politician of the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA). She has been mayor of Delft since 2 September 2016.

Early life

Van Bijsterveldt attended nursing school and worked in healthcare.

Politics

In 1990 she became politically active for the Christian Democratic Appeal. She was an alderwoman (member) of the Almere municipal council but left her post after the mayor of Almere's expenses were investigated. Van Bijsterveldt disagreed with the way the other aldermen of the social-democratic PvdA and the liberal VVD had dealt with the matter, and following a motion of no-confidence she resigned.

In 1994 she was appointed to be Mayor of Schipluiden and at age 33, she became the youngest Mayor in Dutch history. She also was active within the CDA, first as chair of the Christian Democratic Youth Appeal (CDJA), the CDA's youth organization and later as chair of the CDA-women's council. In November 2002 van Bijsterveldt became party chair of the CDA. She was the first chair directly elected by the CDA membership. She beat the other candidate with 26.542 against 9.574 votes. She was reelected for a period of four years in 2006.

On 22 February 2007 Van Bijsterveldt was appointed State secretary for Education, Culture and Science in the fourth Fourth Balkenende cabinet. In August 2009 she made a speech in the States General about Laura Dekker, a thirteen-year-old Dutch citizen whose plans to circumnavigate the world solo caused international controversy. Van Bijsterveldt spoke against Dekker and agreed with the decision to make her a ward of court.[1]

Decorations

Honours
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Officer of the Order of Orange-Nassau Netherlands 10 December 2012

References

Official
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