Her Excellency
Vera Bergkamp
Bergkamp in 2017
Speaker of the House of Representatives
In office
7 April 2021 – 5 December 2023
Preceded byKhadija Arib
Succeeded byMartin Bosma
Member of the House of Representatives
In office
20 September 2012 – 5 December 2023
Personal details
Born (1971-06-01) 1 June 1971
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Political partyDemocrats 66
Children2
ResidenceAmsterdam
Alma materHogeschool van Amsterdam
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (MSc)

Vera Alida Bergkamp (pronounced [ˈveːraː ʔaːˈlidaː ˈbɛr(ə)xkɑmp]; born 1 June 1971) is a Dutch politician. A member of the Democrats 66 (D66) party, she has been a member of the House of Representatives since 20 September 2012.[1] On 7 April 2021, she was elected Speaker of the House of Representatives.[2][3]

Early life and education

Bergkamp was born in Amsterdam to a Dutch mother and a Moroccan father.[4] At the age of 20, she adopted her mother's surname, because her father's surname was too difficult to write and to pronounce.[4][5] Bergkamp studied human resource management at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences.[6] She also holds a master's degree in public administration and political science from the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.[6]

Career

From 2008 to 2012, Bergkamp was the director of the human resources department of the Social Insurance Bank (SVB), a Dutch quango responsible for administering national insurance schemes.[1] From 2010 to 2012, she chaired the LGBT rights organisation COC Nederland, as well as held a seat in the district council of Amsterdam-Centrum.[1]

In the 2012 general election, Bergkamp was elected into the House of Representatives as a member of D66. She was re-elected in 2017 and 2021. On 7 April 2021, she succeeded Khadija Arib as Speaker of the House of Representatives.[3] On August 24 2023, Bergkamp announced in a letter that she would no longer stand for election and would leave national politics after the 2023 House of Representatives elections. She did not give an explicit reason for her departure.[7]

Personal life

Bergkamp is openly lesbian.[5] She is married and has two children.[8] She has a Dutch mother and a father is Moroccan. After the age of twenty, she took her mother's surname because her father's surname was 'complicated' 'to pronounce and write'.[9]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Drs. V.A. (Vera) Bergkamp". Parlement.com (in Dutch). Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  2. ↑ "Vera Bergkamp (D66) gekozen tot Kamervoorzitter". NOS (in Dutch). 7 April 2021. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  3. 1 2 "Vera Bergkamp (D66) verkozen tot Kamervoorzitter". NU.nl (in Dutch). 7 April 2021. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  4. 1 2 Vermeulen, Ella (7 April 2021). "Vera Bergkamp nieuwe voorzitter van de Tweede Kamer". Nouveau (in Dutch). Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  5. 1 2 "'Teamspeler' Vera Bergkamp (D66) wil verbinder zijn". NOS (in Dutch). 7 April 2021. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  6. 1 2 "Biografie, onderwijs en loopbaan van Vera Bergkamp". Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 10 April 2021. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  7. ↑ "Kamervoorzitter Vera Bergkamp (D66) keert na verkiezingen niet terug". nos.nl (in Dutch). 24 August 2023. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
  8. ↑ "Vera Bergkamp (D66) nieuwe Kamervoorzitter: 'Dit is Champions League'". RTL Nieuws (in Dutch). 7 April 2021. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  9. ↑ https://www.nouveau.nl/personality/powervrouwen/vera-bergkamp-nieuwe-voorzitter-van-de-tweede-kamer/. Retrieved 23 December 2023. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
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