Hans van Mierlo

H.A.F.M.O. (Hans) van Mierlo (August 18th 1931 with Bréda) is a Politician Dutch, founder and directing Democraten 1966 (Of 66) (ELDR) since 1966.

Its first names are: Henricus Antonius Franciscus Maria Oliva (called Hans).

It was until 2004 one of the 105 members of the Convention on the future of Europe charged to write the Traité establishing a Constitution for Europe.

Deputy with the 2nd room of 1967 with 1998, president of his parliamentary group, then elected with the 1st room, minister and minister of state (and this, since the October 23rd 1998, honorary distinction granted by the Crown of the Netherlands to politicians for their exceptional merits).

Principal founder, and for a long time leader of the D66 political party. Of catholic origin, resulting from a family of bankers, it made studies of right to the university of Nimègue. Journalist with Amsterdam, at the newspaper “Algemeen Handelsblad”, until 1967, when it succeeds in making enter his party to the Parliament, with 7 seats, thanks to an original and modern electoral campaign. That was worth to him a photograph with the one of the American newspaper NewYork Times. He was Minister for national defense, and later Foreign Minister. It is thanks to him, that in 1994 the Netherlands had for the first time since 1918 a government in which no political party of Christian inspiration took part. Thus it somewhat succeeded in changing the climate of the policy Dutchwoman, but not as much as him and its cofounders had hoped in 1967.

See too

Official site of the ministers of state (in Dutch)

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