Sophie Hermans. Foto Shutterstock Sophie Hermans (VVD), the Minister of Climate Policy and Green Growth, will temporarily take charge of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, following the resignation of Eppo Bruins (NSC).
Announced by the caretaker government last Saturday, her appointment coincides with the temporary reassignment of the four other ministries formerly led by NSC ministers, who have now resigned, to ministers from the VVD and BBB.
Hermans was second on the VVD candidate list in the last election, but has decided not to stand again in October. She has, however, stated that she is open to serving as a minister should the VVD be returned to government.
Hermans was political assistant to VVD leader Mark Rutte for many years. She entered the House of Representatives in 2017 as a member of the VVD and assumed the role of parliamentary party leader five years later. She is the daughter of Loek Hermans, who served as Minister of Education, Culture and Science in the second ‘purple’ coalition government (1998-2002) of PvdA, VVD and D66.
Temporary
The new ministers have been appointed until successors are found. The announcement describes the situation as ‘temporary’, but offers no indication of the timeline within which the two remaining coalition parties expect to fill the vacant ministerial posts.
On Friday, 22 August, NSC Minister Caspar Veldkamp (Foreign Affairs) resigned after failing to convince his colleagues in the cabinet to take new measures against Israel. The other NSC ministers also decided to resign from the already demissionary government.
