The province of Zeeland wants to continue with Hugo de Jonge as Commissioner of the King for the next six years. The 47-year-old De Jonge is already acting commissioner in Zeeland, and the Provincial Council would like to continue with him.
The provincial politicians discussed the recommendations of the confidential committee behind closed doors in Middelburg on Thursday evening. The committee held talks with various candidates in recent weeks.
Usually, the committee presents two candidates to the States, and only the name of the frontrunner is announced afterward. The Zeeland representatives decided to nominate De Jonge to outgoing Minister Judith Uitermark of the Interior. It is customary for the minister to adopt such a recommendation.
De Jonge has been working as an observer in Zeeland since September last year. The native of Zeeland, former minister, then took over the duties of Han Polman (D66), who was commissioner for almost twelve years.
The CDA member currently lives in Rotterdam and says he occasionally rides his racing bike to Middelburg. Now that he is becoming the permanent Commissioner of the King, he must move to Zeeland. A ‘CdK’ is required to live in the province where he or she works.
De Jonge profiles himself emphatically as a figurehead of Zeeland. He regularly appeared in talk shows in recent months and shares his experiences on social media almost daily. At the beginning of this year, the former minister pleaded in his New Year’s speech for a significant increase in the number of residents in Zeeland. He envisions Zeeland in 2050 as a province with hydrogen factories, solar panels on every building, wind from the sea, and nuclear power plants that make Zeeland and the rest of the country self-sufficient in terms of energy.
‘Guardian of good governance, a figurehead’
According to the Zeeland representatives, De Jonge best meets the profile they have drawn up. “As States, we wanted a guardian of good governance, a figurehead, someone who can represent Zeeland in The Hague and also listen carefully to us and the residents,” says Joan van Burg, the chairman of the confidential committee. “Hopefully, that will all happen.”
The intention is for De Jonge to be installed for six years in September. The former minister was keen to become mayor of Rotterdam last year, but the council then chose Carola Schouten as Ahmed Aboutaleb’s successor.