Benk Korthals
Encyclopedia
Albert Hendrik Korthals (born October 5, 1944 in Voorschoten
) is a Dutch
politician of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy
. He is the Party Chair
of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy
since May 22, 2011. He previously served as a Member of the House of Representatives from September 16, 1982 until August 3, 1998 when he became Minister of Justice in the Cabinet Kok II serving until July 22, 2002 and again a short period as a Member of the House of Representatives from May 23, 2002 until July 22, 2002 when he became Minister of Defence
in the Cabinet Balkenende I
until his resignation on December 12, 2002.
Voorschoten
Voorschoten is a village and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. It is a smaller town in the Randstad, enclosed by the cities of Leiden and The Hague. The municipality covers an area of 11.59 km²...
) is a Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
politician of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy
People's Party for Freedom and Democracy
The People's Party for Freedom and Democracy is a conservative-liberal political party located in the Netherlands. The VVD supports private enterprise in the Netherlands and is often perceived as an economic liberal party in contrast to the social-liberal Democrats 66 alongside which it sits in...
. He is the Party Chair
Party Chair
In politics, a party chair is the presiding officer of a political party....
of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy
People's Party for Freedom and Democracy
The People's Party for Freedom and Democracy is a conservative-liberal political party located in the Netherlands. The VVD supports private enterprise in the Netherlands and is often perceived as an economic liberal party in contrast to the social-liberal Democrats 66 alongside which it sits in...
since May 22, 2011. He previously served as a Member of the House of Representatives from September 16, 1982 until August 3, 1998 when he became Minister of Justice in the Cabinet Kok II serving until July 22, 2002 and again a short period as a Member of the House of Representatives from May 23, 2002 until July 22, 2002 when he became Minister of Defence
Ministry of Defence (Netherlands)
The Netherlands Ministry of Defence governs the Netherlands Armed Forces. The Minister is assisted by a State Secretary...
in the Cabinet Balkenende I
First Balkenende cabinet
The first cabinet of Jan Peter Balkenende was in office in the Netherlands from 22 July 2002 until 16 October of the same year. The term of 87 days was the shortest since the fifth cabinet of Hendrikus Colijn .Following the 15 May 2002...
until his resignation on December 12, 2002.
Decorations
- Order of the Netherlands Lion
- Knight (April 28, 1995)
- Order of Orange-NassauOrder of Orange-NassauThe Order of Orange-Nassau is a military and civil order of the Netherlands which was created on 4 April 1892 by the Queen regent Emma of the Netherlands, acting on behalf of her under-age daughter Queen Wilhelmina. The Order is a chivalry order open to "everyone who have earned special merits for...
- Officer (July 3, 2003)