Pieter Heerma

Pieter Heerma
Heerma in 2017
Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations
Assumed office
23 February 2026
Prime MinisterRob Jetten
Preceded byFrank Rijkaart
Leader of the Christian Democratic Appeal in the House of Representatives
In office
11 January 2022 – 4 September 2023
Preceded byWopke Hoekstra
Succeeded byHenri Bontenbal
In office
21 May 2019 – 31 March 2021
Preceded bySybrand van Haersma Buma
Succeeded byWopke Hoekstra
Member of the House of Representatives
In office
20 September 2012 – 5 December 2023
Personal details
BornPieter Enneüs Heerma
(1977-08-05) 5 August 1977
PartyChristian Democratic Appeal
Children2
ParentEnneüs Heerma (father)
Alma materVrije Universiteit Amsterdam
AwardsOrder of Orange-Nassau (2023)

Pieter Enneüs Heerma (born 5 August 1977) is a Dutch politician who has served as Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations since 2026 in the Jetten cabinet. As a member of the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) he was a member of the House of Representatives between 2012 and 2023. He led the party in the House of Representatives from 2019 to 2021 and again from 2022 to 2023.

Biography

Heerma studied political science at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam from 1995 to 2001, with a specialisation in political communication. From 1999 tot 2001 he was a student assistant at Amsterdam School of Communication Research/ASCoR of the University of Amsterdam and the NIOD Institute for War, Holocaust and Genocide Studies researching the Srebrenica massacre.

From 2002 to 2007 he was a spokesperson and press officer of the CDA parliamentary group in the House of Representatives; from 2007 to 2011 he was its head of press information. From 2011 to 2012 he was head of corporate communication of the health insurance company De Friesland Zorgverzekeraar.[1]

Heerma was CDA campaign leader for the general election of 2012. He became a member of the House of Representatives on 20 September 2012. Heerma was elected parliamentary leader of the Christian Democratic Appeal in the House of Representatives on 21 May 2019, following the nomination of Sybrand van Haersma Buma as Mayor of Leeuwarden.[1][2] He remained parliamentary leader until the end of the 2017–2021 parliamentary term. For most of the 2021–2023 term he held the office again. He did not run for reelection to a fourth term as a member of the House of Representatives in 2023.

In 2026 he was appointed Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations in the newly-installed cabinet of Prime Minister Rob Jetten.[3][4]

Personal life

Heerma is married, has two sons and lives in Purmerend. He is the son of the late CDA leader Enneüs Heerma.[1]

He is 2 metres tall, which has earned him the nickname "the big friendly giant".[4]

Decorations

Honours
Ribbon bar Honour Country Date Comment
Knight of the Order of Orange-Nassau Netherlands 5 December 2023 [4]

Electoral history

Electoral history of Pieter Heerma
Year Body Party Pos. Votes Result Ref.
Party seats Individual
2021 House of Representatives Christian Democratic Appeal 6 1,393 15 Won [5]

References

  1. ^ a b c "House of Representatives website" (in Dutch). 13 April 2022. Archived from the original on 28 June 2022. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  2. ^ "Pieter Heerma nieuwe fractievoorzitter CDA" (in Dutch). 21 May 2019. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
  3. ^ "Pieter Heerma". Rijksoverheid (in Dutch).
  4. ^ a b c "Drs. P.E. (Pieter) Heerma". Parlement.com (in Dutch).
  5. ^ "Proces-verbaal verkiezingsuitslag Tweede Kamer 2021" [Report of the election results House of Representatives 2021] (PDF). Dutch Electoral Council (in Dutch). 29 March 2021. pp. 22–60, 162–163. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  • Media related to Pieter Heerma at Wikimedia Commons
  • (in Dutch) Europa-nu.nl website
  • (in Dutch) House of Representatives website Archived 2021-04-24 at the Wayback Machine