Sjoerd Sjoerdsma

Dutch politician and diplomat (born 1981)
Sjoerd Wiemer Sjoerdsma
Member of the House of Representatives
In office
20 September 2012 – 5 December 2023
Personal details
Born
Sjoerd Wiemer Sjoerdsma

(1981-07-10) 10 July 1981 (age 42)
Eindhoven, Netherlands
Political partyD66
Residence(s)The Hague, Netherlands
Alma materUniversity College Utrecht
London School of Economics
Utrecht University
OccupationPolitician
Diplomat

Sjoerd Wiemer Sjoerdsma (born 10 July 1981) is a Dutch politician of the D66 party, who served as a member of the House of Representatives between 20 September 2012 and 5 December 2023. He was first elected in the 2012 Dutch general election.

Early career

Prior to being elected he worked for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. During his period as a diplomat he was posted to the Dutch Embassies in Belgium and Afghanistan and to the Permanent Representation to the Palestinian Authority. [citation needed]

Member of Parliament

In parliament, Sjoerdsma serves as his party’s foreign affairs.[1][2] In addition to his committee assignments, he is a member of the Dutch delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly. In February 2024, during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, he was awarded the Order of Merit by the latter country for his unwavering support. He had called on the Dutch government to assist Ukraine by providing F-16 fighter jets, which it eventually did.[3]

Political positions

In 2019, Sjoerdsma publicly criticized Queen Máxima of the Netherlands over a meeting she held with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on the sidelines of the 2019 G20 Osaka summit without raising the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.[4]

Sjoerdsma is an outspoken critic of China's human rights abuses in Xinjiang.[5] In March 2021, the Chinese government banned Sjoerdsma from entering mainland China and conducting business with Chinese firms in retaliation for European Union-imposed sanctions against four Chinese officials for their roles in perpetrating persecution of Uyghurs in China.[5][6]

Electoral history

Overview of Dutch elections Sjoerdsma participated in
Election Party Candidate number Votes Result
2012 Dutch general election Democrats 66 11 1,569 Elected
2017 Dutch general election Democrats 66 11 2,726 Elected
2021 Dutch general election Democrats 66 5 4,929 Elected

References

  1. ^ Thomas Escritt and Harro Ten Wolde (July 23, 2014), Trading Dutch well placed to pursue Russia sanctions Reuters.
  2. ^ Michael Birnbaum (January 18, 2018), The new ambassador to The Hague might be Dutch American, but he’s not like anyone the Dutch ever met Washington Post.
  3. ^ "Oekraïense onderscheiding voor oud-Kamerlid Sjoerdsma" [Ukrainian award for former MP Sjoerdsma]. NOS (in Dutch). 15 February 2024. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
  4. ^ Toby Sterling (June 29, 2019), Dutch queen criticized over meeting with Saudi prince Reuters.
  5. ^ a b Emmott, Robin (22 March 2021). "EU, China impose tit-for-tat sanctions over Xinjiang abuses". Reuters.
  6. ^ NOS News (March 22, 2021) [1]

External links

  • (in Dutch) Parlement.com biography
  • (in Dutch) Sj.W. (Sjoerd Wiemer) Sjoerdsma MSc (Montesquieu Institute)
  • v
  • t
  • e
House of Representatives
31 March 2021 – 5 December 2023
People's Party for
Freedom and Democracy
(VVD – 34)
Democrats 66
(D66 – 24)Party for Freedom
(PVV – 16)Christian Democratic Appeal
(CDA – 14)
Socialist Party
(SP – 9)Labour Party
(PvdA – 9)GroenLinks
(GL – 8)Party for the Animals
(PvdD – 6)Forum for Democracy
(FVD – 5)Christian Union
(CU – 5)Farmer–Citizen Movement
(BBB – 4)Reformed Political Party
(SGP – 3)DENK
(DENK – 3)Volt Netherlands
(Volt – 2)JA21
(JA21 – 1)Den Haan Group
(FDH – 1)BIJ1
(BIJ1 – 1)Van Haga Group
(Indep. – 3)Member Ephraim
(Indep. – 1)Member Gündoğan
(Indep. – 1)Member Omtzigt
(Indep. – 1)
 Bold  indicates the parliamentary leader (first mentioned) and the Speaker;  (Brackets)  indicate a temporarily absent member;
 Italics  indicate a temporary member;  ‹Guillemets›  indicate a member who has left the House of Representatives
See also: Members of the Senate of the Netherlands, 2019–2023 · Members of the Senate of the Netherlands, 2023–2027
  • v
  • t
  • e
House of Representatives
23 March 2017 – 31 March 2021
People's Party for
Freedom and Democracy
(VVD – 32)
Party for Freedom
(PVV – 20)
Christian Democratic Appeal
(CDA – 19)
Democrats 66
(D66 – 19)
GroenLinks
(GL – 14)
Socialist Party
(SP – 14)
Labour Party
(PvdA – 9)
Christian Union
(CU – 5)
Party for the Animals
(PvdD – 4)
50PLUS
(50+ – 3)
Reformed Political Party
(SGP – 3)
DENK
(DENK – 3)
Forum for Democracy
(FVD – 2)
Member Krol
(Indep. – 1)
Member Van Kooten-Arissen
(Indep. – 1)
 Bold  indicates the parliamentary leader (first mentioned) and the Speaker;  (Brackets)  indicate a temporarily absent member;
 Italics  indicate a temporary member;  ‹Guillemets›  indicate a member who has left the House of Representatives
See also: Members of the Senate of the Netherlands, 2015–2019 · 2019–2023
  • v
  • t
  • e
House of Representatives
20 September 2012 – 23 March 2017
People's Party for
Freedom and Democracy
(VVD – 40)
Labour Party
(PvdA – 35)
Socialist Party
(SP – 15)
Christian Democratic Appeal
(CDA – 13)
Party for Freedom
(PVV – 12)
Democrats 66
(D66 – 12)
Christian Union
(CU – 5)
GroenLinks
(GL – 4)
Reformed Political Party
(SGP – 3)
Party for the Animals
(PvdD – 2)
50PLUS
(50+ – 1)
Bontes/Van Klaveren Group
(Indep. – 2)
Kuzu/Öztürk Group
(Indep. – 2)
Member Van Vliet
(Indep. – 1)
Member Klein
(Indep. – 1)
  • Klein
Member Houwers
(Indep. – 1)
Member Monasch
(Indep. – 1)
 Abc  signifies the parliamentary leader (first mentioned) and the Speaker;  (Abc)  signifies a temporarily absent member;
 Abc  signifies a temporary member;  ‹Abc›  signifies a member who prematurely left the House of Representatives
See also: Members of the Senate of the Netherlands, 2011–2015 · 2015–2019