Hans Spekman

Hans Spekman
Hans Spekman in 2012
Chairman of the Labour Party
In office
2 January 2012 – 7 October 2017
Preceded byLilianne Ploumen
Succeeded byNelleke Vedelaar
Member of the House of Representatives
In office
30 November 2006 – 25 January 2012
Alderman of Utrecht
In office
1 January 2001 – 1 May 2006
Member of the municipal council of Utrecht
In office
1 April 1994 – 1 January 2001
Personal details
Born
Johannes Leonardus Spekman

(1966-04-06) 6 April 1966 (age 58)
Zevenhuizen, Netherlands
Political partyLabour Party (1986–present)
Residence(s)Utrecht, Netherlands

Johannes Leonardus "Hans" Spekman (Dutch pronunciation: [joːˈɦɑnəs leːjoːˈnɑrdʏs ɦɑns ˈspɛkmɑn]; born 6 April 1966) is a Dutch politician of the Labour Party. He was a local politician in Utrecht from 1994 to 2006 and a member of the House of Representatives from 2006 to 2012. He was the party chair of the Labour Party between 2012 and 2017.

Early life and career

Johannes Leonardus Spekman was born on 6 April 1966 in Zevenhuizen in South Holland in the Netherlands.[1]

He worked as a welder, mover, and environmental bookseller.[1]

Politics

Spekman has been a member of the Labour Party since 1986.[1]

He was a member of the municipal council of Utrecht from 1 April 1994 to 1 January 2001 and an alderman of Utrecht from 1 January 2001 to 1 May 2006.[1]

Spekman was a member of the House of Representatives from 30 November 2006 to 24 January 2012. He focused on matters of alien and asylum policy, employment and social assistance policy, as well as poverty and benefit fraud control.[1]

Spekman has been chairman of the Labour Party since 2 January 2012, when he succeeded Lilianne Ploumen.[2]

In 2016 he organized a battle for the leadership of the Labour Party between the then–party leader Diederik Samsom and deputy prime minister Lodewijk Asscher. The battle had a disastrous effect on the unity within the party and led to the end of the political career of Samsom. In 2017 Spekman led the campaign of his party in the parliamentary elections for the House of Representatives. On 15 March the Labour Party suffered a historical defeat of 29 seats in the House. The party ended up with nine seats. After the defeat members of the Labour party called for the resignation as party chairman of Hans Spekman.[3][4] On 17 March he announced that he would step down in autumn 2017. A day later, at the PvdA members' council, it was decided with just over 60% of the votes that, in accordance with his own request, Spekman could remain chairman until October 7th.[5] He was succeeded by Nelleke Vedelaar.

When the Labour Party formed an electoral alliance with GroenLinks in the early 2020s, Spekman supported Rood Vooruit, an initiative founded in 2023 that has been critical of merger plans.[6]

Personal life

Spekman lives in the city of Utrecht.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f "J.L. (Hans) Spekman" (in Dutch), Parlement & Politiek. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  2. ^ "Hans Spekman gekozen als voorzitter PvdA" (in Dutch), NU.nl, 2011. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  3. ^ Korteweg, Ariejan (16 March 2017). "Vertrekkend PvdA-Kamerlid Jan Vos: 'Spekman moet opstappen'". de Volkskrant (in Dutch). Retrieved 4 March 2024.
  4. ^ "PvdA-leden beslissen over toekomst Spekman na nederlaag PvdA - RTL Nieuws". 31 July 2017. Archived from the original on 31 July 2017. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  5. ^ Hendrickx, Frank (19 March 2017). "Aangeslagen PvdA weet zich even geen raad". de Volkskrant (in Dutch). Retrieved 4 March 2024.
  6. ^ Kieskamp, Wilma (24 November 2024). "Ad Melkert is op missie: de PvdA moet zelfstandig blijven" [Ad Melkert is on a mission: The PvdA should remain independent]. Trouw (in Dutch). Retrieved 27 November 2024.
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Party political offices
Preceded by Chairman of the Labour Party
2012–present 		Incumbent


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