Rita Verdonk

Maria Cornelia Frederika "Rita" Verdonk (born 18 October 1955) is a Dutch politician and businesswoman formerly affiliated with the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) and later Proud of the Netherlands (TON), which she founded in 2007. Since 2022, she has been a municipal councillor of The Hague, elected on the list led by Richard de Mos. Verdonk attended a Gymnasium in Utrecht from June 1968 until June 1974 and applied at the Radboud University Nijmegen in June 1974 majoring in Law before switching to Criminology and obtaining a Bachelor of Criminal Justice degree in July 1979 before graduating with a Master of Criminal Justice degree in July 1983. Verdonk worked as a civil servant for the Ministry of Justice from September 1983 until October 1996 and as director of the department of State Security of the Domestic Security Service (BVD) from October 1996 until November 1999. Verdonk worked as a management consultant for KPMG and Atos from November 1999 until May 2003. After the election of 2003 Verdonk was appointed as Minister for Integration and Asylum Affairs in the Cabinet Balkenende II, taking office on 27 May 2003. After the Leader of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy and Parliamentary leader of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy in the House of Representatives Jozias van Aartsen announced that he was stepping down as Leader and Parliamentary leader in the House of Representatives following the defeat in the municipal elections of 2006, Verdonk announced her candidacy to succeed him. Verdonk lost the leadership election to incumbent State Secretary for Education, Culture and Science Mark Rutte on 31 May 2006. The Cabinet Balkenende II fell on 30 June 2006 as a result of the Verdonk-Ayaan Hirsi Ali controversy. Verdonk continued to serve in a demissionary capacity until the...