New Dutch government: these members studied or taught at Leiden University
Junior ministers image: ANP
Rob Jetten presented his very first cabinet on Monday 23 February. Three members studied or taught at Leiden University.
Sandra Palmen
Sandra Palmen (independent) studied tax law in Leiden from 1999 to 2001. She is the Junior Minister for Benefits Redress, a role she also held in the Schoof cabinet. She served as an NSC MP from December 2023 until the end of 2024, and left the party in September 2025. Before entering politics, Palmen held roles including that of coordinator of a project at the Ministry of Finance and deputy justice at the Central Appeals Court in Utrecht.
Willemijn Aerdts
Willemijn Aerdts (D66) is the new Junior Minister for the Digital Economy and Digital Sovereignty. Although she did not study in Leiden, she worked as a PhD candidate and a lecturer at the Institute of Security and Global Affairs (ISGA) at Leiden University in The Hague from 2016. She has left the university to take up the role of junior minister. ‘So many fantastic opportunities and challenges. I feel honoured and can’t wait to get started!’ she wrote on LinkedIn. Aerdts is a security expert. Her book ‘Doelwit Nederland’ will be published in May.
Derk Boswijk
Derk Boswijk (CDA) did the pre-master’s in public administration at Leiden University between 2013 and 2014. The new Junior Minister for Arms Procurement and Personnel, Boswijk has been a CDA MP since March 2021 and the party’s campaign manager since 2022. ‘One of my main reasons for going into politics was my concerns about the state of our armed forces. Six years on, in this role, I’m able to contribute to a more resilient Netherlands that stands up for justice and peace,’ he wrote on LinkedIn.
Photo above: The full ministers and prime minister of the new Jetten cabinet pose with King Willem-Alexander on the steps of Paleis Huis ten Bosch.