Merlien Welzijn | |
|---|---|
| Member of theHouse of Representatives | |
| Assumed office 6 December 2023 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1973-12-20)20 December 1973 (age 51) Paramaribo,Suriname |
| Nationality | Dutch |
| Political party | New Social Contract |
Merlien Welzijn (born 20 December 1973) is a Suriname-born Dutch politician of theNew Social Contract (NSC) who was elected to theHouse of Representatives in the2023 general election.[1]
Welzijn is of Surinamese descent.[2] She has an older brother and two younger sisters. When Welzijn was around seven, her parents separated, and her father took care of the children. They were homeless for a year, staying at family and friends. Welzijn cited the experience as her reason to become politically active.[3] Before her election, she served as board member of ahousing corporation.[4]
She ran for the House of Representatives in November 2023 as NSC's tenth candidate, and she was elected.[5] Her portfolio contains housing, poverty, participation, and child care.[6] Welzijn advocated for addressing a student housing shortage by encouraging homeowners to rent out rooms. She suggested increasing the allowed lodgings per house from one to two and relaxing rent protection regulations to permit eviction when a house is sold.[3] During budget debates, she proposed to identify and bundle delayed housing projects such that they could be expedited, in a similar fashion to theCrisis and Recovery Act [nl] for infrastructure projects.[7] She encouraged housing ministerMona Keijzer to negotiate mainly with housing corporations instead of private investors to ensure the affordability of new homes.[4]
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| Year | Body | Party | Pos. | Votes | Result | Ref. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party seats | Individual | |||||||
| 2023 | House of Representatives | New Social Contract | 10 | 3,496 | 20 | Won | [5] | |
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