Ruud Lubbers

Rudolphus Franciscus Marie (Ruud) Lubbers , born the May 7th 1939 with Rotterdam, is a economist and Politician Dutch.

He was the pupil, lasting of the studies at the Érasme University of Rotterdam, of the prize winner of the Price of the Bank of Sweden in economic scenes in memory of Alfred Nobel Jan Tinbergen.

Its political career began May 11th 1973, when it was named Minister for the Economic affairs ( minister van Economische Zaken ), in the government directed by Joop den Uyl, function which it occupied until the December 19th 1977.

In 1978, it succeeded Willem Aantjes, chief of the parliamentary group Christian-Democrat to the Second Room of the Dutch General states ( Tweede Kamer van of Staten-Generaal ), constrained with the resignation following charges relative to its behavior during the Second world war.

Member of the Party Christian Democrat (CDA), it exerted the functions of minister-president ( minister-president , chief of the government) of 1982 with 1994, in three successive cabinets:

of the November 4th 1982 with the July 14th 1986: first Lubbers government;
of the July 14th 1986 with the November 7th 1989: second Lubbers government;
of the November 7th 1989 with the August 22nd 1994: third Lubbers government.

To date, Ruud Lubbers holds the record of longevity as a government chief in the Netherlands.

Regarded as having a very preserving political temperament, it is described by certain as “heir” to Margaret Thatcher. One of its electoral slogans most known is “meer markt, minder overheid” (more market, less State).

After having left the government, he was candidate, in 1996, at the station of general secretary of UNO. But the the United States opposed to them Veto with its candidature, preferring to him, to succeed the Egyptian Boutros Boutros-Ghali, the Ghanaian Kofi Annan.

Four years later, it obtained however a kind of “consolation prize”, since it was named, starting from January 1st 2001, High commissioner of the United Nations for the refugees. In October 2003, its three years mandate was prolonged two years, that is to say until the December 31st 2005.

Ruud Lubbers was compromised, in the middle of the year 2004, in a scandal of sexual harassment against a civil servant of HCR. An internal survey ordered by Kofi Annan bleached Ruud Lubbers of these charges, but the general secretary however severely criticized his “management” of the crisis, Ruud Lubbers having taken the initiative to write with its accusing to ask him to withdraw his allegations all while making him a promise of impunity.

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