46th Prime Minister of the Netherlands (1931?2024)
Andreas Antonius Maria "Dries" van Agt
(
Dutch:
[?dris
f?n
??xt]
ⓘ
;
[1]
2 February 1931 ? 5 February 2024) was a Dutch politician, jurist and diplomat who served as
Prime Minister of the Netherlands
from 19 December 1977 until 4 November 1982. He was a prominent leader of the
Catholic People's Party
(KVP) and later its successor party, the
Christian Democratic Appeal
(CDA).
Van Agt was known for his abilities as a skillful
debater
and
negotiator
. During his premiership, his cabinets were responsible for several major
public sector
and civil service reforms and further reducing the
deficit
following the
recession in the 1980s
. Van Agt continued to comment on political affairs as a statesman until he suffered a major
stroke
in May 2019 which forced him to undergo rehabilitation. He held the distinction as the oldest living and earliest serving former prime minister following the death of
Piet de Jong
in July 2016, until his own death in February 2024.
Early life
[
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]
Andreas Antonius Maria van Agt was born in
Geldrop
in the
Netherlands Province
of
North Brabant
in a
Roman Catholic
family. After receiving his diploma Gymnasium-A at the
Augustinianum
he studied at the
Catholic University of Nijmegen
, where he received his Doctorate in Law in 1955. After graduating, he practiced law in Eindhoven until 1957, after which he worked in the office of legal and business affairs of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries until 1962. From 1962 to 1968, he worked for the Ministry of Justice.
Politics
[
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Minister and deputy prime minister
[
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]
Van Agt entered politics as a member of the
Catholic People's Party
, which merged with the other two major Christian Democratic parties in 1980 to form the
Christian Democratic Appeal
(CDA). From 1968 to 1971, Van Agt was Professor of Criminal Law at the Catholic University of Nijmegen. From 1971 to 1973, he was Minister of Justice in the government of
Barend Biesheuvel
.
[2]
He caused outrage when he tried to pardon
the last three Nazi war criminals still in Dutch prisons
in 1972. From 1973 to 1977 he was Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice in the government of
Joop den Uyl
.
[2]
Leader of the Christian Democratic Appeal
[
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]
In 1976, Van Agt was elected the first
Leader of the Christian Democratic Appeal
, then still a federation of the three religious parties
Christian Historical Union
,
Catholic People's Party
and
Anti-Revolutionary Party
, which first ran in 1977 with a united list (the merger followed in 1980). With Van Agt as top candidate, the
Christian Democratic Appeal
reversed in 1977 years of decline to return to power.
Prime minister in the Cabinet Van Agt I
[
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]
In the parliamentary elections of May 1977 the
Labour Party
obtained their largest number of seats, so a second Den Uyl coalition looked likely. However, the tension between the
Catholic People's Party
and the Labour Party in the last reign, combined with the fact that a coalition between
Christian Democratic Appeal
and the
People's Party for Freedom and Democracy
was possible, the talks failed after a period of seven months. Eventually Van Agt negotiated a deal with
Hans Wiegel
, leader of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy. From 19 December 1977 to 11 September 1981 Van Agt was Prime Minister of the Netherlands and Minister of General Affairs in the Cabinet Van Agt I.
Prime minister in the Cabinet Van Agt II
[
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]
In 1981, the
Christian Democratic Appeal
,
People's Party for Freedom and Democracy
and
Labour Party
lost parliamentary seats, so a continuation of a Christian Democratic Appeal-People's Party for Freedom and Democracy coalition was not possible. Van Agt, leader of the Christian Democratic Appeal, was forced to go in coalition with the Labour Party. Also
Democrats 66
(which, under Jan Terlouw gained a significant number of seats) participated in the coalition talks, after three months of difficult negotiations that resulted in the Cabinet Van Agt II (11 September 1981 ? 29 May 1982). In this composition Van Agt worked with Joop den Uyl again as Den Uyl was made Deputy Prime Minister and "super minister" of Social Affairs and Employment. The characterological and political differences led to several divisions, and in May 1982 the government fell.
The personal strife between Van Agt and Den Uyl were so deteriorated that when Den Uyl died from a
brain tumor
in 1987, Van Agt was not invited to the memorial by the family. Den Uyl's wife Liesbeth argued that Van Agt had prevented the second Den Uyl coalition from forming in 1977.
Prime minister in the Cabinet Van Agt III
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The caretaker government went through as a minority cabinet, with only ministers from the parties
Christian Democratic Appeal
and
Democrats 66
, in the Cabinet Van Agt III. For replacing the six
Labour Party
ministers, five new Christian Democratic Appeal and Democrats 66 ministers were in place, while van Agt in the cabinet, as well as being prime minister was also Minister of Foreign Affairs.
New parliamentary elections were organized for September 1982. Although Van Agt, by this point was worn out, he was persuaded again to be
Leader of the Christian Democratic Appeal
but shortly after the election he withdrew as a candidate for prime minister and was succeeded by Ruud Lubbers.
After politics
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Diplomat
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Dries van Agt served as Ambassador of the
European Community
to Japan from 1987 to 1990 and to the United States from 1990 to 1995. From 1995 to 1996, he was a Visiting Professor of International Relations at the
University of Kyoto
.
Professor
[
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Until his death, Van Agt was Prime Counsellor for the
International Forum for Justice and Peace
, a foundation under Dutch law, registered at the Chamber of Commerce in
Amsterdam
. Chaired by retired international businessman
Ben Smoes
, they are currently focused on justice and peace in regard to the Israel/Palestine conflict.
Activism
[
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Van Agt lectured in May 2006 in Cairo at the invitation of the Egyptian electronic magazine Arab-West Report about great changes in the cultural climate of north-western Europe in the past decades, becoming more hostile to religion, including Islam. Muslims, he argued, need to understand those changes to be able to respond better to European criticism on Islam and the Muslim world.
[3]
Van Agt also spoke against the Council of State in Egypt for continuous delay in granting the
Center for Arab-West Understanding
(CAWU) the NGO status. He met with prominent figures in Egypt to persuade them to do so. The Egyptian Council of State, after van Agt's visit to Cairo in 2006, ruled on 18 February 2007 that the center should be recognized as an NGO under Egyptian law, ending its three-year struggle to obtain this status. Egypt is known for its reluctance in granting NGO status to discourage political participation.
Cornelis Hulsman
, a Dutch sociologist, the editor-in-chief of Arab-West Report, and the head of CAWU, stated that van Agt's effort significantly impacted the realization of their goals, which usually requires a lengthy amount of time and scrutiny in its political purposes.
For some years he took an outspoken stance regarding the Middle East, resulting in a fierce criticism of the policies undertaken by the government of Israel with regard to the Palestinians. When in office, van Agt was a staunch supporter of Israel, but after he stepped down in 1982 he changed his mind.
[4]
According to his own words an important turning point was a visit at the late nineties at
Bethlehem University
on the Israeli-occupied
West Bank
.
[5]
[6]
He accused Israel of "
state terrorism
" and turning the Palestinian Authority territories into "
bantustans
".
[7]
In 2009, Van Agt founded The Rights Forum, a non-profit organization aimed at promoting a “just and sustainable Dutch and European policy regarding the Palestine/Israel issue”.
[8]
In 2012, he said that Jews should have a state in Germany instead of Israel.
[9]
In September 2016, in reference to the visit of
Prime Minister of Israel
Benjamin Netanyahu
to the Netherlands, van Agt argued that the ongoing
Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories
and the building of
settlements
there constituted a
war crime
under the
Rome Statute
and suggested that Netanyahu should have been sent to the
International Criminal Court
.
[10]
Personal life and death
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Van Agt was known for his use of archaic language and complicated phrasing, as well as for his love for cycling. He married Eugenie Krekelberg in 1958, and they had three children
[2]
and seven grandchildren, including professional cyclist
Eva van Agt
[
nl
]
. In 2012, he joined the Advisory Board of the
International Museum for Family History
. Van Agt lived until his death in
Heilig Landstichting
, near
Nijmegen
.
Van Agt and his wife, after choosing
euthanasia
, died on 5 February 2024, three days after his 93rd birthday.
[11]
According to family, the couple died holding hands.
[12]
Van Agt had previously suffered a debilitating brain hemorrhage while giving a speech in 2019.
[8]
Decorations
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Honours
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Awards
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Honorary degrees
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References
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]
- ^
van
in isolation:
[v?n]
.
- ^
a
b
c
"Wie is Dries van Agt?"
.
NTR Focus
(in Dutch)
. Retrieved
24 June
2021
.
- ^
For the full text of his lecture, entitled, "Cultures between Clash and Reconciliation: The Role of the Media and Academia," see AWR, 2006, week 53, art. 3
- ^
"Former Dutch PM champions Palestinian cause"
Archived
13 December 2009 at the
Wayback Machine
,
Radio Netherlands Worldwide
(10 December 2009).
- ^
(in Dutch)
"De bekering van Dries van Agt"
Archived
19 October 2013 at the
Wayback Machine
, HP|DE TIJD, 29 September 2006
- ^
(in Dutch)
"Ik kan het wel uitschreeuwen"
, interview oud-premier Dries van Agt, NRC Handelsblad, 22 August 2009
- ^
Cnaan Liphshiz,
'Dutch Jimmy Carter' accuses Israel of terrorism in new book
Haaretz
(27 June 2008).
- ^
a
b
"Former Dutch Prime Minister Dries van Agt and his wife die 'hand in hand' by euthanasia at age 93"
.
Associated Press
. 9 February 2024
. Retrieved
10 February
2024
.
- ^
Former Dutch PM: Jews should have had a state in Germany
,
The Times of Israel
(11 November 2012).
- ^
Cockburn, Harry (6 September 2016).
"Former Dutch PM calls Benjamin Netanyahu a 'war criminal' who should be tried in The Hague"
.
independent.co.uk
. Retrieved
27 September
2016
.
- ^
"Oud-premier Dries van Agt (93) overleden"
.
NOS
(in Dutch). 9 February 2024
. Retrieved
9 February
2024
.
- ^
Van Agt and wife "died holding hands"
External links
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