Esther Ouwehand
Encyclopedia
Esther Ouwehand is a Dutch
politician
and former marketing
manager. She is one of the two Members of Parliament for the Party for the Animals
(Partij voor de Dieren, PvdD).
in Katwijk, where she finished her vwo
(Dutch pre-university education).
She studied "Policy, communication and organisation" (Dutch:beleid, communicatie and organisatie) at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, which she did not finish.
Ouwehand is married
and currently resides in Leiden, South Holland
.
She was raised a Protestant but is currently an agnostic
. Furthermore, she is a vegetarian.
. She left a promising career in marketing
, being junior marketing manager for youth magazines at Sanoma. She has additional functions as a committee member for youth centre "De Schuit" and the foundation "Factor Welzijn" in Katwijk.
The general elections of 2006
were considered a great success for the party. The party gained 179,988 votes (1,8%), enough for two seats in the Dutch parliament. The party became the world's first party to gain parliamentary seats with an agenda focused primarily on animal rights.
She was second on the election list, right after party chairwoman
Marianne Thieme
. Consequently, she became a member of parliament, even though she received a total of 4.370 write-in votes, about a hundred less than lijstduwer
Kees van Kooten
, who received 4.479 votes. She was sworn in on November 30, 2006.
Contrary to her wishes she was not initially placed on the election list for the general elections of 2010
, but the party members voted her on the second place, so she became re-elected.
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
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
and former marketing
Marketing
Marketing is the process used to determine what products or services may be of interest to customers, and the strategy to use in sales, communications and business development. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business developments...
manager. She is one of the two Members of Parliament for the Party for the Animals
Party for the Animals
The Party for the Animals is a political party in the Netherlands.Among its main goals are animal rights and animal welfare, though it claims not to be a single-issue party...
(Partij voor de Dieren, PvdD).
Personal life
Esther Ouwehand went to secondary schoolSecondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
in Katwijk, where she finished her vwo
Voorbereidend Wetenschappelijk Onderwijs
Voorbereidend wetenschappelijk onderwijs or pre-university secondary education is the highest variant in the secondary educational system of the Netherlands. After leaving elementary school students are enrolled in different types of secondary schools, according to their academic ability...
(Dutch pre-university education).
She studied "Policy, communication and organisation" (Dutch:beleid, communicatie and organisatie) at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, which she did not finish.
Ouwehand is married
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
and currently resides in Leiden, South Holland
South Holland
South Holland is a province situated on the North Sea in the western part of the Netherlands. The provincial capital is The Hague and its largest city is Rotterdam.South Holland is one of the most densely populated and industrialised areas in the world...
.
She was raised a Protestant but is currently an agnostic
Agnosticism
Agnosticism is the view that the truth value of certain claims—especially claims about the existence or non-existence of any deity, but also other religious and metaphysical claims—is unknown or unknowable....
. Furthermore, she is a vegetarian.
Career
Initially, she did not consider a career in politicsPolitics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
. She left a promising career in marketing
Marketing
Marketing is the process used to determine what products or services may be of interest to customers, and the strategy to use in sales, communications and business development. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business developments...
, being junior marketing manager for youth magazines at Sanoma. She has additional functions as a committee member for youth centre "De Schuit" and the foundation "Factor Welzijn" in Katwijk.
Party for the Animals
She joined the Party for the Animals in October 2002 and became the party's co-ordinator in 2004. She was responsible for the management of the party's headquarters. She also co-authored the 2006 electoral program "220x liever..".The general elections of 2006
Dutch general election, 2006
The General Election to the House of Representatives of the States-General of the Netherlands was held in the Netherlands on November 22, 2006. And followed the call for new elections after the fall of the Second Balkenende cabinet....
were considered a great success for the party. The party gained 179,988 votes (1,8%), enough for two seats in the Dutch parliament. The party became the world's first party to gain parliamentary seats with an agenda focused primarily on animal rights.
She was second on the election list, right after party chairwoman
Party leader
In politics, the party leader is the most powerful official within a political party.The party leader is typically responsible for managing the party's relationship with the general public. As such, he or she will take a leading role in developing and communicating party policy, especially election...
Marianne Thieme
Marianne Thieme
Marianne Louise Thieme is a Dutch politician of the Party for the Animals . She has been Parliamentary leader in the House of Representatives since November 23, 2006 and an MP since November 30, 2006....
. Consequently, she became a member of parliament, even though she received a total of 4.370 write-in votes, about a hundred less than lijstduwer
Lijstduwer
Lijstduwer is a Dutch term for the last candidate on a party list.In Suriname, the Netherlands and Belgium, this position is often taken by well-known non-politicians such as artists and sportspeople. They are officially a candidate, but they are put at the end of the party list in a bid to...
Kees van Kooten
Kees van Kooten
Kees van Kooten is a Dutch former international football striker. After his career he became a football manager.-References:* * *...
, who received 4.479 votes. She was sworn in on November 30, 2006.
Contrary to her wishes she was not initially placed on the election list for the general elections of 2010
Dutch general election, 2010
The 2010 Dutch general election was held on Wednesday, 9 June 2010. After the fall of the cabinet Balkenende IV on 20 February, Queen Beatrix accepted the resignation of the Labour Party ministers on 23 February...
, but the party members voted her on the second place, so she became re-elected.