Jan Peter Balkenende

Jan Peter Balkenende (b.1956) is expected to be Prime Minister of the Netherlands from July 22, 2002.

He began his career on the staff of the research institute of the Christen Democratisch Appèl (CDA) political party and was also a member of the council of Amstelveen. Afterwards he became a special professor of "Christian social thinking" at the Vrije Universiteit of Amsterdam.

He became a member of the CDA faction in the lower house of parliament (the Tweede Kamer) on May 19, 1998, while the party was in opposition. He became the financial spokesman of the CDA and was also involved with social affairs, justice and internal affairs.

He became the fraction chairman of the CDA on October 1, 2001, as successor of Jaap de Hoop Scheffer. On November 3, 2001 he was appointed lijsttrekker (head of the list of candidates) for the CDA for the May 2002 parliamentary elections.

He resides with his family in Capelle aan den IJssel.

website van JP Balkenende: http://www.jpbalkenende.nl/