Renske Leijten | |
|---|---|
Leijten in 2012 | |
| Member of the House of Representatives | |
| In office 30 November 2006 – 4 July 2023 | |
| Succeeded by | Nicole Temmink |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Renske Maria Leijten (1979-03-17)17 March 1979 (age 46) |
| Political party | Socialist Party |
| Children | 2 |
| Residence(s) | Haarlem, Netherlands |
| Alma mater | University of Groningen (BA) |
| Occupation |
|
| Website | (in Dutch)Party website |
Renske Maria Leijten (born 17 March 1979) is a Dutch politician of theSocialist Party (SP), who was a member of theHouse of Representatives between 2006 and 2023.
Leijten studiedDutch language andliterature at theUniversity of Groningen. She was raisedRoman Catholic but is nowagnostic.[1] Starting in 2005, she was a member of SP's party executive committee. From 2005 to 2007 she was also chairwoman of SP's youth organizationROOD.
She was first elected to the House of Representatives in the2006 general election. She focused on matters ofpublic health,quality of life andsports. From 6 February 2014 until 29 May 2014 she was temporarily absent due to maternity leave, she was first replaced byTjitske Siderius,[2] and starting on 14 May 2014 byHenri Swinkels.[3] She rose to prominence through the uncovering byPieter Omtzigt and her of thechildcare benefits scandal, which led to the resignation of thethird Rutte cabinet.[4] Leijten announced she would leave politics on 1 July 2023, and she vacated her seat in the House of Representatives three days later.[4][5] She told that she had made the decision in February and elaborated that one can no longer function when frustration dominates.[4]
| Year | Body | Party | Pos. | Votes | Result | Ref. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party seats | Individual | |||||||
| 2006 | House of Representatives | Socialist Party | 9 | 4,791 | 25 | Won | [6] | |
| 2010 | House of Representatives | Socialist Party | 4 | 41,115 | 15 | Won | [7] | |
| 2012 | House of Representatives | Socialist Party | 2 | 69,146 | 15 | Won | [8] | |
| 2017 | House of Representatives | Socialist Party | 2 | 57,956 | 14 | Won | [9] | |
| 2021 | House of Representatives | Socialist Party | 2 | 143,924 | 9 | Won | [10] | |
| 2023 | House of Representatives | Socialist Party | 50[a] | 6,960 | 5 | Lost | [11] | |