Leader of the Labour Party (Netherlands)

The Leader of the Labour Party is the most senior politician within the Labour Party (Dutch: Partij van de Arbeid, PvdA) in the Netherlands.

The leaders outwardly act as the 'figurehead' and the main representative of the party. Within the party, they must ensure political consensus. At election time the leader is always the lead candidate of the party list. Outside election time the leader can serve as the Leader of the Opposition. In the Labour Party the party leader is often the parliamentary leader in the House of Representatives. Some leaders became a minister in the cabinet.

Joop den Uyl and Anne Vondeling on 11 November 1966.

Joop den Uyl and Wim Kok on 3 June 1986.

Job Cohen and Lodewijk Asscher on 3 February 2010.

Lilianne Ploumen, Wouter Bos, Wim Kok and Job Cohen on 1 May 2011.

Diederik Samsom and Job Cohen on 21 March 2012.

Attje Kuiken and Lodewijk Asscher on 11 June 2022.

Leader			Term of office	Age as leader	Position(s)	Lead candidate
		Willem Drees (1886–1988)	9 February 1946 – 22 December 1958 (12 years, 316 days) [Retired]	59–72	Member of the Municipal council of The Hague (1913–1941) Member of the Provincial council of South Holland (1919–1941) Alderman of The Hague (1919–1933) Member of the House of Representatives (1933–1945, 1946, 1948, 1952, 1956) Parliamentary leader in the House of Representatives (1939–1945) Minister of Social Affairs (1945–1948) Deputy Prime Minister (1945–1948) Prime Minister (1948–1958) Minister of Colonial Affairs (1951) Minister of Finance (1952) Minister of State (1958–1988) (Title of honor)	1946 1948 1952 1956
		Jaap Burger (1904–1986)	22 December 1958 – 16 September 1962 (3 years, 268 days) [Resigned]	54–58	Minister without Portfolio (1943–1944) Minister of the Interior (1944–1945) Member of the House of Representatives (1945–1962) Parliamentary leader in the House of Representatives (1951, 1952–1962) Member of the Senate (1963–1970) Member of the European Parliament (1966–1970) Member of the Council of State (1970–1979) Minister of State (1975–1986) (Title of honor)	1959
Vacant (16 September 1962 – 25 September 1962)
		Anne Vondeling (1916–1979)	25 September 1962 – 24 September 1966 (3 years, 364 days) [Resigned]	46–50	Member of the House of Representatives (1946–1958, 1959–1965, 1967–1979) Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Supplies (1958) Member of the Provincial council of Friesland (1962) Parliamentary leader in the House of Representatives (1962–1965) Minister of Finance (1965–1966) Deputy Prime Minister (1965–1966) Speaker of the House of Representatives (1972–1979) Member of the European Parliament (1979) Delegation leader in the European Parliament (1979)	1963
		Joop den Uyl (1919–1987)	24 September 1966 – 21 July 1986 (19 years, 300 days) [Retired]	47–66	Member of the Municipal council of Amsterdam (1953–1965) Member of the House of Representatives (1956–1963, 1967–1973, 1977, 1978–1981, 1982–1987) Alderman of Amsterdam (1962–1965) Minister of Economic Affairs (1965–1966) Parliamentary leader in the House of Representatives (1967–1973, 1977, 1978–1981, 1982–1986) Prime Minister (1973–1977) President of the European Council (1976) President of the Party of European Socialists (1980–1987) Minister of Social Affairs and Employment (1981–1982) Minister for Netherlands Antilles Affairs (1981–1982) Deputy Prime Minister (1981–1982)	1967 1971 1972 1977 1981 1982 1986
		Wim Kok (1938–2018)	21 July 1986 – 15 December 2001 (15 years, 147 days) [Retired]	47–63	Member of the Social and Economic Council (1973–1985) Member of the House of Representatives (1986–1989, 1994, 1998) Parliamentary leader in the House of Representatives (1986–1989, 1994, 1998) Minister of Finance (1989–1994) Deputy Prime Minister (1989–1994) Prime Minister (1994–2002) President of the European Council (1997) Minister of State (2003–2018) (Title of honor)	1989 1994 1998
		Ad Melkert (born 1956)	15 December 2001 – 16 May 2002 (155 days) [Resigned]	45–46	Member of the House of Representatives (1986–1994, 1998–2002) Minister of Social Affairs and Employment (1994–1998) Parliamentary leader in the House of Representatives (1998–2002) Associate Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (2006–2009) Special Representative of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (2009–2011) Member of the Council of State (2016–2022)	2002
Vacant (16 May 2002 – 17 November 2002)
		Wouter Bos (born 1963)	12 November 2002 – 25 April 2010 (7 years, 164 days) [Retired]	39–46	Member of the House of Representatives (1998–2000, 2002–2007) State Secretary for Finance (2000–2002) Parliamentary leader in the House of Representatives (2002–2007) Minister of Finance (2007–2010) Deputy Prime Minister (2007–2010)	2003 2006
		Job Cohen (born 1947)	25 April 2010 – 20 February 2012 (1 year, 301 days) [Resigned]	62–64	State Secretary for Education and Sciences (1993–1994) Member of the Senate (1995–1998) Parliamentary leader in the Senate (1996–1998) State Secretary for Justice (1998–2001) Mayor of Amsterdam (2001–2010) Member of the House of Representatives (2010–2012) Parliamentary leader in the House of Representatives (2010–2012)	2010
Vacant (20 February 2012 – 17 March 2012)
		Diederik Samsom (born 1971)	17 March 2012 – 9 December 2016 (4 years, 267 days) [Defeated]	40–45	Member of the House of Representatives (2003–2016) Parliamentary leader in the House of Representatives (2010–2016)	2012
		Lodewijk Asscher (born 1974)	9 December 2016 – 14 January 2021 (4 years, 36 days) [Resigned]	42–46	Member of the Municipal council of Amsterdam (2002–2006, 2010) Alderman of Amsterdam (2006–2010, 2010–2012) Mayor of Amsterdam (2010) Minister of Social Affairs and Employment (2012–2017) Deputy Prime Minister (2012–2017) Member of the House of Representatives (2017–2021) Parliamentary leader in the House of Representatives (2017–2021)	2017
Vacant (14 January 2021 – 18 January 2021)
		Lilianne Ploumen (born 1963)	18 January 2021 – 12 April 2022 (1 year, 84 days) [Resigned]	58–59	Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation (2012–2017) Member of the House of Representatives (2017–2022) Parliamentary leader in the House of Representatives (2021–2022)	2021
Vacant (12 April 2022 – 11 June 2022)
		Attje Kuiken (born 1977)	11 June 2022 – 22 August 2023 (1 year, 72 days) [Retired]	44–45	Member of the House of Representatives (2006–2010, 2010–2023) Parliamentary leader in the House of Representatives (2016–2017, 2022–2023)
		Frans Timmermans (born 1961)	22 August 2023 – Incumbent (1 year, 345 days)	62–64	Member of the House of Representatives (1998–2007, 2010–2012, since 2023) State Secretary for Foreign Affairs (2007–2010) Minister of Foreign Affairs (2012–2014) European commissioner (2014–2023) First Vice-President of the European Commission (2014–2019) First Executive Vice-President of the European Commission (2019–2023) Parliamentary leader in the House of Representatives (since 2023)	2023 2025

^{Voluntary retired from his position}

^{Resigned following internal conflicts over his leadership style}

^{Resigned after failing to achieve party consensus about his continued leadership}

^{Resigned following a disappointing election result after the 2002 general election}

^{Resigned following internal discussions over his leadership capabilities}

^{Defeated for reelection}

See also

• Leadership elections
  • 2002
  • 2012
  • 2016