NSC leader Omtzigt leaves politics: 'Repairing burnout is not possible'
NOS Nieuws•Friday 18 April, 19:35 •Updated Friday, 18 April, 20:10
NSC leader Omtzigt leaves politics: 'Repairing burnout is not possible'
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NSC leader Pieter Omtzigt is leaving national politics. He announced this in a video on X.
Real recovery from his burnout is not possible in the hustle and bustle of current Hague politics, he says. He chooses to put his family and his health first “for the first time”. Omtzigt leaves immediately. He also won't get a behind-the-scenes role anymore.
Omtzigt hands over the chairmanship of the NSC Group to Nicolien van Vroonhoven and says he does so “confidently”. Van Vroonhoven has been sharing group leadership with Omtzigt for some time, due to his recurring burnout complaints.
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Pieter Omtzigt announces his departure from politics
According to government party sources, Omtzigt's departure has no consequences for the survival of the coalition. The leaders of PVV, VVD and BBB (Wilders, Yesilgöz and Van der Plas) wish him on X all the best for the future.
Prime Minister Schoof also gives Omtzigt “the well-deserved rest” he needs on behalf of the cabinet. “The Hague is losing an enthusiastic and passionate Member of Parliament, a true representative of the people,” he writes on X. Schoof speaks of “a courageous but unfortunate decision”.
Retired several times
Omtzigt previously withdrew temporarily from politics in The Hague several times due to burnout complaints. This happened for the first time in 2021, when he was still in the House of Representatives before the CDA. When he returned after four months, he left the CDA and continued as a one-man group.
Before the November 2023 Parliamentary elections, he founded his own party, NSC. It won 20 seats in one fell swoop. After a long and difficult formation, the party joined the Schoof cabinet.
In September last year, he took another step back and again in November.”step by step“to return. A month later, during an interview with Rick Nieman, he walked in WNL on Sunday emotional briefly. That happened when Nieman asked him about his fellow politicians getting kicked out of school about his emotional behavior during the formation negotiations. He finished the interview after a short moment.
Watch a brief review of Omtzigt's career here:
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A few moments by Pieter Omtzigt in The Hague
Today, after 21 years, Omtzigt is permanently leaving national politics. “Although I am still full of ideas and the work for, for example, the victims of the benefits scandal and especially for the children displaced from home is still unfinished, I say with great regret that I am unable to complete my mandate,” he says.
According to the politician, NSC's ideas about greater social security and good governance are “in excellent hands”.
Omtzigt is likely to say goodbye to the House and NSC next month. The party's administrators will meet on Saturday. The NSC House of Representatives Group will speak on Thursday about the situation that has now arisen.
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