Who is Dick Schoof? Here are 8 things to know about the new Prime Minister of the Netherlands

01 June 2024 , 13:28

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Nicknamed ‘Tricky Dick’, the new head of the Netherlands’ far-right-led government is not afraid of bending the rules.

Dick Schoof might be the most surprising prime minister the Dutch have ever had.

While pundits have been tripping over each other trying to guess who could be the Netherlands’ next leader after Geert Wilders’ far-right Party for Freedom (PVV) won a landmark victory six months ago, the name Schoof was unknown to many until this week.

“I guess it will be a surprise for a lot of people that I’m standing here,” Schoof told reporters, slightly nervously, as he was unveiled. “It’s actually also a surprise for me.”

A former spy chief, Schoof was set to retire in March, but signed on for another three years as the top civil servant at the Dutch Justice Ministry. He was put forward this week as the country’s next prime minister, to lead the most right-wing government in recent Dutch history.

The coalition sees Wilders’ PVV join with the center-right People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), the right-wing populist Farmer-Citizen Movement (BBB) and the centrist New Social Contract (NSC).

As a top civil servant, Schoof is not well known even in the Netherlands, let alone at meetings in Brussels with other heads of states. In a poll conducted by the Dutch TV program EenVandaag on Tuesday evening, 50 percent of respondents did not know who he was. Another 11 percent knew him only by name.

So who is Dick Schoof and what does he stand for?

1. He’s a career civil servant with a long record

A career civil servant, Schoof has had a long record in national security-related jobs and headed the immigration service between 1999 and 2003.

He was appointed national coordinator for counterterrorism in 2013, overseeing the response to the downing of Flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine by Russian-controlled forces in which 196 Dutch citizens died. Afterward, he headed the domestic security service for one year before moving to the ministry of justice.

That gives him experience in two of the spearheads in the right-wing coalition’s “main lines agreement” — implementing the “strictest asylum policy yet” and upping the fight against organized crime.

“You will hardly find anyone more thoroughly vetted than Mr. Schoof,” said NSC leader Pieter Omtzigt.

2. He runs. A lot.

Schoof is used to putting in the hard yards: the 67-year-old has run 18 marathons so far. In his latest race earlier this year, he completed the course in an impressive 4 hours 10 minutes.

3. He’s a stickler for the rules …

According to Schoof, “upholding democracy and the rule of law has been a common thread” throughout his many positions in the civil service.

4. … except when he’s stretching them

On at least two occasions, Schoof has also shown a willingness to flex the rules to get what he wanted.

In 2015, Dutch media reported that Schoof had attempted to steer a supposedly independent investigation into the security service’s handling of the MH17 crisis.

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Schoof was appointed national coordinator for counterterrorism in 2013, overseeing the response to the downing of Flight MH17 | Pool photo by Piroschka van de Wouw/Getty Images

According to emails which were made public, Schoof was furious and criticized the report’s authors as being “too heavy and too negative” in their conclusions, encouraging them to soften their language — which they consequently did.

In March this year, the Dutch newspaper NRC reported that Schoof had also dismissed warnings about the legality of his security service employees snooping on suspects through fake social media accounts.

In both cases, despite political scandal, Schoof seemed to have gotten away with it. But some media have been less willing to forgive, dubbing him “Tricky Dick” and “Dick Thunder.”

5. Don’t call him a puppet PM

Schoof was put forward by Wilders, the clear winner of the November 22 election, who had to give up his own dream of becoming prime minister when it became clear that that was a roadblock to the formation of a new cabinet.

But Schoof insisted he will not be Wilders’ puppet. “I don’t identify at all with the image that I would be on Wilders’ leash,” he told journalists. Instead, he said he had been asked by the four parties that will form the new government to lead it — not only by Wilders.

“I am not affiliated to any party, I am not standing here in the name of the Freedom Party … I want to be the prime minister of all the Dutch.”

It might help broaden his appeal that Schoof was formerly a member of the Labour party (PvdA). He left the party in 2021, saying he no longer felt at home there.

6. But he wants to do what he’s been told

Where in recent decades the Netherlands has always had prime ministers who were affiliated with a party and ideology — and won elections on that basis — Schoof seems intent on the office being colorless under his watch. “My plans are what the party leaders have written out in the governing agreement.”

Asked what he thought of that agreement, which was presented earlier this month after 175 days of talks, Schoof said that he shared the concerns of immigration, asylum and refugee issues, social security, the standing of all citizens “including farmers,” and international security.

But it remains to be seen who will call the shots. Schoof will only be prime minister by the grace of the four party leaders who have a clear majority in parliament.

Schoof insisted he will not be Wilders’ puppet | Remko de Waal/ANP/AFP via Getty Images

He has his work cut out in Brussels, too, where Schoof will have to force concessions from his fellow EU leaders. The coalition wants to opt out of certain EU migration rules and pay much less to the bloc’s coffers, as well have looser rules on nature and agriculture.

7. He’s a clean slate

After almost fourteen years in power, the Dutch know everything about outgoing prime minister Mark Rutte: from how he likes his coffee, to where he gets it, and where he spends his holidays.

In comparison, Schoof is a clean slate. It is known he grew up in a Catholic family as the second youngest of seven. Today, he is a divorced father of two adult daughters, whom he and his then-wife adopted from China. Other than his work, he has a love for gadgets and media attention.

Opposition leader Frans Timmermans has called Schoof “a very loyal and dedicated civil servant.” In comments to media, his former colleagues described him as an ambitious workaholic with a sense of humor.

Ironically, the most vocal criticism has come from far-right quarters. “The Netherlands has voted for Geert Wilders and what we get is a former Labor Party civil servant who has been spying on us for years,” grumbled the leader of Forum for Democracy (FvD) Thierry Baudet.

8. His first task: picking some ministers

Prime ministerial candidate or not, there is still a lot of work to do before the next government can take office.

Schoof will now be involved in dividing ministries and helping appoint candidates to key positions. After the Dutch king has confirmed the new government, Schoof and the rest of the cabinet will spend the summer drafting a coalition program that fleshes out the current governing agreement. The intention is to have that program ready in September.

Pressed to provide an insight on the Dutch government’s future plans, Schoof still seemed to be stuck in his old role on Tuesday, fending off journalists’ questions by telling them: “You will have to ask the political world.”

He had seemingly forgotten that from now on, that world includes Schoof himself — at the top.

Thomas Brown

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Pieter Omtzigt, Mark Rutte, Geert Wilders, Dick Schoof, Netherlands