Chris Jansen

Chris A. Jansen (born October 27, 1966) is a Dutch politician, who currently is a member of the House of Representatives. He has been serving in this position since November 2019 on behalf of the right-wing populist Party for Freedom (PVV).

Chris Jansen
Member of the House of Representatives
Assumed office
November 27, 2019
Preceded bySietse Fritsma
Member of the States of Flevoland
In office
March 10, 2011[1] – January 28, 2020
Succeeded byJan Meindert Keuter
Member of the Almere municipal council
In office
March 11, 2010 – January 15, 2020[2]
Succeeded byArnoud Ravestein
Personal details
Born
Chris A. Jansen

(1966-10-27) October 27, 1966
Bussum, North Holland
Political partyParty for Freedom
Children2
ResidenceAlmere, Flevoland

Jansen's political career started in 2010, when he was elected to the Almere municipal council. Besides, he became a member of the States of Flevoland the next year, rising to the position of party leader of the province in 2013. He remained loyal to Geert Wilders, founder of the PVV, after he held a speech in which he asked a crowd whether they would want more or fewer Moroccans, being the only member of the party in Almere to not distance himself from the speech. Jansen also served as chair of the Almere audit office for three years.

During the 2017 Dutch general election, Jansen was placed 23rd on the PVV's party list. His party received twenty seats – not enough for Jansen to become an MP. However, when Sietse Fritsma vacated his seat in 2019, Jansen was appointed as his successor. He subsequently resigned from his positions as municipal councillor and member of the states-provincial.

Early life and non-political career

Jansen was born on October 27, 1966 in the town Bussum in North-Holland as the son of an Indonesian-born mother.[3][4] He has one older brother.[3] After his education, he worked for about 20 years in the telecommunications and IT industries according to his profile as a states-provincial member.[5] During the last few years, Jansen was a sales manager.[1]

Local and provincial politics

Almere municipal council (2010–2020)

Jansen has told that he decided to become involved in politics in 2009 as a result of the trial of Geert Wilders, which Jansen regarded as a trial against the freedom of speech.[6] He first ran for political office during the 2010 municipal elections in the city Almere, where he was on place seven on the PVV's party list.[7] The Party for Freedom participated in the elections in two municipalities in the Netherlands, marking the first time the party took part in any municipal election.[8] Jansen received 179 preferential votes and became a member of the council in March, as his party won a plurality of 9 out of 39 seats.[9] However, his party did not become part of the coalition that makes up the executive board.[10]

During the next municipal election in 2014, Jansen was re-elected as the second person on the PVV's party list, while the party remained the largest party with again nine seats.[11][12] During election night, party leader Geert Wilders gave a speech during which he controversially asked the crowd whether they would want more or fewer Moroccans, resulting in a "fewer, fewer, fewer" chant.[13] All PVV councilmen in Almere except for Jansen distanced themselves from Wilders' statements a few days later, causing Jansen to declare in an interview on Radio 1 Journaal that he was the only PVV councilman left in Almere and that the other eight would have to continue under a different party name.[14][15] He was subsequently expelled from the municipal PVV caucus because of those statements and because the caucus leader said Jansen was following his own course. Two days later, the caucus made up with Jansen, and he became a member again.[14] Later that year, in August, he became the chairman of the municipal audit office.[16]

At the start of 2016, he called Mayor Franc Weerwind a "wally" (flapdrol) on Twitter after he had decided to not prohibit a meeting that included two controversial Islamic preachers.[17][18] Subsequently, a local party called for Jansen's removal as chair of the audit office.[19] Another reason for this was that Jansen had incorrectly suggested the year before that a former alderman was pressured by civil servants not to cooperate in an audit office investigation. Jansen had already acknowledged he had been wrong and had apologized to the municipal council.[20] He was not dismissed as not enough support for the move existed. Usually a term as chair lasts two years, but Jansen remained in the position until 2017, as an investigation was still ongoing.[21][19]

Jansen ran again for councilor during the 2018 municipal election and was re-elected for a third term as the fourth person on the party list.[22][23] However, his party slid down to become the third biggest party in Almere, receiving 6 out of an increased 45 seats.[22] Because of his position as party leader in Flevoland, Jansen was also involved in finding candidates for his party for other municipalities in his province.[24] During the formation of the executive board of the North Holland city Den Helder, Jansen was proposed as finance alderman. However, a local party dropped out of the formation at the last moment, and a coalition without the PVV was made.[25] He vacated his seat in the Almere municipal council during his third term in January 2019 after being appointed member to the House of Representatives.[1]

Besides serving in the Almere council, Jansen has served for a number of years on the seven-member executive board of the Flevoland branch of the Association of Dutch Municipalities. His last year on the board was 2015.[26]

States of Flevoland (2011–2020)

Jansen became a member of the States of Flevoland in March 2011, remaining in his position as councilman as well.[27] He won his seat during the 2011 Dutch provincial elections, being placed third on the party list.[28] The Party for Freedom came in third in Flevoland, receiving six seats.[29] Jansen became the PVV's party leader in the States in June 2013, after his predecessor Joram van Klaveren resigned because he could no longer combine the position with his membership of the House of Representatives.[30]

Jansen was the lijsttrekker of the Party for Freedom in Flevoland during the 2015 Dutch provincial elections, when his party received six seats – only fewer than the VVD.[31][32] Again, the PVV did not become part of the provincial-executive after the VVD had said they would not include the PVV in the formation talks if Jansen would not distance himself from Wilders' speech that included a "fewer, fewer, fewer" chant. Jansen refused to meet this demand.[33] The coalition that was formed fell in February 2018, because three of its four members resigned after they lost confidence in their fourth member, Ad Meijer (SP). Before that, the former three had tried to remove Meijer through a motion of no confidence in the States of Flevoland. However, not enough parties voted in favor. Jansen's party was among the parties that voted against the motion to cause, in his words, "maximal damage to the executive council". He later called the failure of the motion a "dream scenario", as it had resulted in the fall of executive.[34] When the Van Geel Commission came out with its advice about the surplus of large herbivores in the nature reserve Oostvaardersplassen later in 2018, Jansen opposed the proposed shooting of animals and instead advocated using birth control to decrease the population.[35]

In March 2019, Jansen was re-elected during the provincial elections, being again the party's lijsttrekker.[36] The PVV became the third biggest party, winning four seats in total.[37] He vacated his seat on January 28, 2020 after he had become an MP.[38]

National politics

During the 2017 Dutch general election, Jansen was on place 23 on the party list of the Party for Freedom.[27] His party won twenty seats and he personally received 382 preferential votes, the majority of which came from his home province of Flevoland. The result was not sufficient to become a member of the House of Representatives.[39] Jansen was also on place nine on the party list for the 2019 Dutch Senate election, but the PVV received only five seats.[40]

House of Representatives (2020–present)

In October 2019, MP Sietse Fritsma stepped down to start a business, resulting in Jansen becoming a member of the House of Representatives. Jansen was sworn in on November 27, 2019, and he indicated that he planned to resign from his other political positions.[27] Two people in front of Jansen in the line of succession, Karen Gerbrands and Robert Housmans, turned down the position; Gerbrands had resigned from the position of MP the year before and had criticized the party, and Housmans refused because he had recently become a member of the provincial-executive of Limburg.[41][42] In the House of Representative, Jansen is the PVV's spokesperson in the area of health care together with Fleur Agema, and he is a member of the parliamentary Committee for Health, Welfare and Sport and of the Petitions Committee.[4][43]

When the first cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in the Netherlands during the 2020 pandemic, Jansen criticized the government for not taking enough precautions to stop the virus. He pointed at the fact that other European countries had taken more action and said Minister for Medical Care Bruno Bruins should think ahead instead of solely listening to experts.[44] Besides, he accused the cabinet of withholding possible scenarios.[45]

Political positions

His municipal positions included creating more housing, increasing the quality of education, and making sports more accessible.[6] During his political career, he has also opposed Islamization and the construction of new mosques in Almere, and he has said he would like the government to revoke passports of criminal immigrants with multiple citizenship.[5][46]

Jansen has also objected to some forms of or increases in government spending; he has opposed proposals to increase cultural subsidies in Flevoland, was against spending €470 million on the development of Nieuw Land National Park, and has criticized environmental subsidies leading to the construction of many windmills in the province.[5][47][48] He has acknowledged the existence of climate change, but called it a natural process that has been going on throughout history and has denied human activity as a major cause. Jansen has also called measures to address climate change including the energy transition too expensive.[35]

Furthermore, he has asked for more transparency in the public financing of the exposition Floriade 2022, planned to be held in Almere.[49] He has also accused the municipality of including part of the event's costs in other proposals to make the total costs seem smaller.[50]

Personal life

Jansen has a wife and two children.[6] According to his party profile, he has been living in Almere since 1998.[4][23] He has played soccer, starting in his childhood at the Naarden club NVC.[3]

References
  1. "Ch.A. (Chris) Jansen". Parlement.com (in Dutch). Parlementair Documentatie Centrum. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  2. 574e Politieke Markt. Raad van Almere (in Dutch). 16 January 2020. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
  3. Een portret van 09-03-2015 (in Dutch). Omroep Flevoland. 9 March 2015. Retrieved 23 January 2020 – via YouTube.
  4. "Chris Jansen". Tweede Kamer (in Dutch). Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  5. "Chris Jansen". Provincie Flevoland (in Dutch). 4 December 2019. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
  6. "Chris Jansen (PVV)". Raad van Almere (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 12 January 2020. Retrieved 12 January 2020.
  7. "PVV-lijsttrekker Almere: Raymond de Roon". Parlement.com (in Dutch). Parlementair Documentatie Centrum. 21 December 2009. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  8. "PVV doet mee in twee gemeenten". NOS (in Dutch). 27 March 2013. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  9. "Gemeenteraad 3 maart 2010". Kiesraad (in Dutch). Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  10. "Gemeenteraad 2010-2014". Raad van Almere (in Dutch). Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  11. "Gemeenteraad 19 maart 2014". Kiesraad (in Dutch). Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  12. "PVV-kieslijsten Den Haag en Almere bekend". De Telegraaf (in Dutch). 20 January 2014. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  13. "Wilders: Willen jullie meer of minder Marokkanen?". Algemeen Dagblad (in Dutch). 18 December 2014. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  14. "PVV Almere blijft bijeen". Trouw (in Dutch). 24 March 2014. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  15. "Wilders was duidelijk over context van zijn uitspraken" (in Dutch). NPO Radio 1. 22 March 2014. Archived from the original on 24 January 2020. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
  16. "Rekenkamer". Raad van Almere (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 8 December 2014. Retrieved 19 January 2020.
  17. "Leefbaar Almere: PVV'er Jansen moet uit Rekenkamer". Omroep Flevoland (in Dutch). 5 February 2016. Retrieved 19 January 2020.
  18. "Meerderheid raad keurt 'flapdrol' af". Omroep Flevoland (in Dutch). 29 January 2016. Retrieved 22 January 2020.
  19. "PVV'er Jansen blijft voorzitter Rekenkamer". Omroep Flevoland (in Dutch). 14 July 2016. Retrieved 19 January 2020.
  20. "Excuses Rekenkamer voor uitspraken over ex-wethouder". Omroep Flevoland (in Dutch). 3 December 2015. Retrieved 22 January 2020.
  21. "Rekenkamer". Raad van Almere (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 5 July 2017. Retrieved 19 January 2020.
  22. "Gemeenteraad 21 maart 2018". Kiesraad (in Dutch). Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  23. "Kandidatenlijst Gemeenteraadsverkiezingen 2018". PVV Almere (in Dutch). 15 February 2018. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  24. "PVV optimistisch over verkiezingen Lelystad en Urk". Omroep Flevoland (in Dutch). 15 August 2017. Retrieved 19 January 2020.
  25. "PVV-wethouderschap Jansen ver weg". Omroep Flevoland (in Dutch). 30 April 2018. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
  26. "Documenten" (PDF). VNG Flevoland (in Dutch). Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  27. "PVV-Kamerlid beëdigd" (Press release) (in Dutch). Tweede Kamer. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  28. "PVV-kandidaten mogen wel praten". Omroep Flevoland (in Dutch). 4 February 2011. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
  29. "Provinciale Staten 2 maart 2011". Kiesraad (in Dutch). Retrieved 18 January 2020.
  30. "Fractievoorzitter Flevoland stopt ermee". De Volkskrant (in Dutch). 7 May 2013. Retrieved 12 January 2020.
  31. "Download 'Kieskring Flevoland'" (PDF). Kiesraad (in Dutch). 3 February 2015. p. 1. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
  32. "Provinciale Staten 18 maart 2015". Kiesraad (in Dutch). Retrieved 18 January 2020.
  33. "College GS van vijf partijen meest waarschijnlijk". Omroep Flevoland (in Dutch). 19 March 2015. Retrieved 22 January 2020.
  34. "Collegecrisis in Flevoland: ruzie in Gedeputeerde Staten". Omroep Flevoland (in Dutch). 26 February 2018. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  35. PVV Flevoland: geen afstand van 'minder Marokkanen-uitspraak' (in Dutch). Omroep Flevoland. 19 March 2019. Retrieved 19 January 2020 – via YouTube.
  36. "Vastegestelde [sic] kandidatenlijst provincie Flevoland provinciale statenverkiezingen 2019" (PDF). Kiesraad (in Dutch). 7 February 2019. p. 4. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
  37. "Provinciale Staten 20 maart 2019". Kiesraad (in Dutch). Retrieved 18 January 2020.
  38. "Samenstelling". Provincie Flevoland (in Dutch). Retrieved 1 September 2020.
  39. "Uitslag Tweede Kamerverkiezing 2017 (getekend exemplaar)" (PDF). Kiesraad (in Dutch). 21 March 2017. pp. 64 and 65. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  40. "Marjolein Faber wederom lijsttrekker PVV voor de Eerste Kamer". Parlement.com (in Dutch). Parlementair Documentatie Centrum. 25 March 2019. Retrieved 12 January 2020.
  41. Hartog, Tobias den (26 November 2019). "Kritische Gerbrands niet de Tweede Kamer in namens de PVV". Algemeen Dagblad (in Dutch). Retrieved 12 January 2020.
  42. Peeters, Jule (22 November 2019). "PVV-gedeputeerde Housmans ziet af van Kamerzetel". De Limburger (in Dutch). Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  43. "Wilders voorzag Kamerzetel Chris Jansen". Omroep Flevoland (in Dutch). 18 January 2020. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
  44. Aa, Edwin van der (5 March 2020). "Minister: Sterke stijging patiënten past in het beeld". Algemeen Dagblad (in Dutch). Retrieved 6 April 2020.
  45. Kieskamp, Wilma (5 March 2020). "Nerveuze stemming in Tweede Kamer over corona". Trouw (in Dutch). Retrieved 6 April 2020.
  46. Over Flevoland Gesproken - "Statenverkiezingen zijn peiling kabinetsbeleid" (in Dutch). Omroep Flevoland. 17 February 2019. Retrieved 23 January 2020 – via YouTube.
  47. "Uitslag poll: geen geld voor landschapskunstwerken". Omroep Flevoland (in Dutch). 12 March 2019. Retrieved 22 January 2020.
  48. "Nationaal Park Nieuw Land gaat zo'n 470 miljoen euro kosten". Omroep Flevoland (in Dutch). 13 February 2019. Retrieved 22 January 2020.
  49. "PVV Flevoland pleit voor openheid over Floriade". Omroep Flevoland (in Dutch). 20 June 2012. Retrieved 22 January 2020.
  50. Jansen, Chris (13 June 2015). "Publicatie 13 juni 2015". Raad van Almere (in Dutch). Retrieved 22 January 2020.
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