Balkenende, Jan Pieter (1956– )

Dutch centre-right politician, leader of the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) party and prime minister from 2002. The CDA became the largest party in the Netherlands parliament after the May 2002 elections, which had been disrupted during the campaign by the assassination of the populist politician Pim Fortuyn. The CDA's coalition government with the Pim Fortuyn party lasted only 86 days, and after new elections Balkenende formed a centre-right coalition government with the liberal VVD and D66 parties, which focused on reducing public spending, crime, and a tough immigration policy. The D66 party withdrew from the coalition in June 2006.

Born in Kapelle, the son of a grain merchant, Balkenende studied history and law at the Free University of Amsterdam and received a doctorate in law. A devout Calvinist Protestant, he worked as a professor of Christian–Social Thought at the Free University. He was elected to the Netherlands parliament in 1998, representing the CDA, and became chairman of the parliamentary party in 2001.