René Claassen

René Claassen
René Claassen in 2023
Member of the House of Representatives
Incumbent
Assumed office
6 December 2023
Municipal councilor of Landgraaf
In office
30 March 2022 – 6 December 2023
Member of the Provincial Council of Limburg
In office
28 March 2019 – 6 December 2023
Personal details
Born
R.A.B. Claassen

(1971-07-13) 13 July 1971 (age 53)
Heerlen, Netherlands
Political partyPVV
Alma materMaastricht University (MSc)
Occupation
  • Politician

René A.B. Claassen (born 13 July 1971) is a Dutch politician representing the Party for Freedom (PVV). He was a member of the Provincial Council of Limburg starting in 2019, and he has served as a member of the House of Representatives since the 2023 Dutch general election.

Early life and healthcare career

Claassen was born in Heerlen's Zuyderland Hospital on 13 July 1971. His father was a member of the Labour Party and a senior union leader of Abvakabo.[1] Claassen was raised Catholic, but he has said that he was "cured of Roman Catholicism" after visiting Vatican City at age seventeen, concluding it was a charade.[2] Claassen completed his nursing training in the late 1980s, and he worked as a hospital nurse for over twenty years, successively in a pediatric ward and an intensive care unit. He was employed by the Zuyderland Hospital for most of that period.[1] He switched careers in 2008 and became a healthcare educator and manager at the Zuyd University of Applied Sciences. He also completed a master's degree in applied science at Maastricht University.[1][3][4]

Political career

In a 2024 interview, Claassen described that he was inspired by the rise of right-wing politician Pim Fortuyn. Poverty was rising in Heerlen as a result of the closure of coal mines in the region, and Claassen believe those issues could only be solved by the political right.[1] He was elected to the Provincial Council of Limburg in March 2019 and to the municipal council of Landgraaf in March 2022. He stepped down from both positions in December 2023.[3]

During the 2023 Dutch general election, he was elected to the House of Representatives as the PVV's sixth candidate, and he became the party's spokesperson for curative healthcare.[1][5] When the House was considering to expand a pilot program to legalize the cultivation and supply of cannabis, Claassen instead proposed to put it on hold. His motion was not supported by a majority.[6] Claassen introduced two motions in an attempt to prevent the closure of the emergency department and the intensive care unit of the Zuyderland Hospital. Healthcare minister Fleur Agema (PVV) advised against them, and she was unable to keep the departments open.[7]

Electoral history

Electoral history of René Claassen
Year Body Party Pos. Votes Result Ref.
Party seats Individual
2021 House of Representatives Party for Freedom 31 657 17 Lost [8]
2023 House of Representatives Party for Freedom 6 3,764 37 Won [9]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Van Buuren, Yara (31 July 2024). "Van kersvers Kamerlid René Claassen (PVV) hoeft het niet altijd hard tegen hard" [New MP René Claassen (PVV) does not believe the gloves always have to go off]. Trouw (in Dutch). Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  2. ^ Claassen, René (5 August 2024). ""Wat Pim Fortuyn zei, was voor mij een eyeopener"" ["What Pim Fortuyn said was an eye-opener to me"]. Reformatorisch Dagblad (Interview) (in Dutch). Interviewed by Jakko Gunst and Arij Heijboer. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
  3. ^ a b "R.A.B. (René) Claassen MSc". Parlement.com. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
  4. ^ "René Claassen op nummer zes kandidatenlijst PVV" [René Claassen at number six on the PVV candidate list]. 1Limburg (in Dutch). 25 September 2023. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
  5. ^ "Tweede Kamerfractie" [House of Representatives group]. Party for Freedom (in Dutch). Retrieved 31 March 2024.
  6. ^ Bhikhie, Avinash (5 March 2024). "Kamer stemt tegen uitbreiding wietproef, maar wil door met experiment" [House votes against expansion cannabis pilot but does want to continue]. de Volkskrant (in Dutch). Retrieved 5 March 2024.
  7. ^ Vermeer, Oscar (23 October 2024). "Felle kritiek op zorgminister Agema, ook van eigen PVV" [Fierce criticism of healthcare minister Agema, also from her PVV]. NRC (in Dutch). Retrieved 23 October 2024.
  8. ^ "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. 18–19. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  9. ^ "Proces-verbaal van de uitslag van de verkiezing van de Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal 2023 d.d. 4 december 2023" [Report of the results of the election of the House of Representatives on 4 December 2023] (PDF). Dutch Electoral Council (in Dutch). 4 December 2023. pp. 33–34. Retrieved 21 December 2023.