The first cabinet of Jan Peter Balkenende was in office in the Netherlands from July 22, 2002 until October 16 of the same year. The term of 87 days (counting the first and last days in full and excluding its "caretaker" function that continued for months afterwards) was the shortest since the fifth cabinet of Hendrikus Colijn (July 25, 1939 - August 10, 1939). Alternate meanings in cabinet (disambiguation) A Cabinet is a body of high-ranking members of government, typically representing the executive branch. ... Prime Minister of the Netherlands Jan Peter Balkenende  listen (* May 7, 1956) is Prime Minister of The Netherlands since July 22, 2002. ... July 22 is the 203rd day (204th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 162 days remaining. ... 2002 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... October 16 is the 289th day of the year (290th in Leap years). ... Hendrikus Colijn (1869-1944), was a succesfull Dutch soldier, businessman and politician. ...

After the May 15, 2002 elections the division of the 150 seats in the lower house (Tweede Kamer) was: May 15 is the 135th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (136th in leap years). ... 2002 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Tweede Kamer is the second chamber or lower house of the Staten-Generaal, the parliament in the Netherlands. ...

On May 17 Queen Beatrix appointed Piet Hein Donner, a CDA member of the Raad van Staat as "informer", to investigate the possibilities for a new government. A coalition between CDA, LPF and VVD was established relatively quickly, despite some initial resistance by the VVD. By July 4 a detailed coalition agreement had been drawn up and the Queen appointed Jan Peter Balkenende, the lijsttrekker (head of the list of candidates) for the CDA, to form a new cabinet. The Christen-Democratisch Appèl (CDA, Christian Democratic Appeal) is a political party of the Netherlands that was established in 1980. ... Lijst Pim Fortuyn (List Pim Fortuyn) is a political party in the Netherlands. ... The Volkspartij voor Vrijheid en Democratie (VVD), literally Peoples Party for Freedom and Democracy, is a free market liberal party in the Netherlands. ... For the Belgian political party of the same name, see Partij van de Arbeid (Belgium). ... GroenLinks (GL, GreenLeft) is a political party in the Netherlands. ... The Socialist Party (Dutch: Socialistische Partij) is a socialist party in the Netherlands. ... Democraten 66 (D66), is a social liberal party in the Netherlands. ... The ChristenUnie (Christians Union) is a relatively young political party in the Netherlands. ... The Staatkundig Gereformeerde Partij (SGP, literally Politically Reformed Party) is a Dutch political party following the conservative Christian principles, in the tradition of the Dutch Reformed Church. ... Leefbaar Nederland (Livable Netherlands) is a political party in the Netherlands, founded on March 21, 1999, by (among others) Jan Nagel and Henk Westbroek, respectively chairpersons of Leefbaar Hilversum and Leefbaar Utrecht. ... Queen Beatrix of The Netherlands reads her countrys Speech from the Throne. ... The Christen-Democratisch App l (CDA, Christian Democratic Appeal) is a political party of the Netherlands that was established in 1980. ... Lijst Pim Fortuyn (List Pim Fortuyn) is a political party in the Netherlands. ... The Volkspartij voor Vrijheid en Democratie (VVD), literally Peoples Party for Freedom and Democracy, is a free market liberal party in the Netherlands. ... Prime Minister of the Netherlands Jan Peter Balkenende  listen (* May 7, 1956) is Prime Minister of The Netherlands since July 22, 2002. ...

The cabinet was named on July 16 and was sworn in on July 22. The first departure from the new executive came a few hours later, when Philomena Bijlhout, the State Secretary for Social Affairs and Work Opportunity appointed by the LPF, resigned after evidence was presented that she had been a member of a militia of Dési Bouterse in Suriname in 1982 and 1983 for longer than she had previously declared. Désiré Delano Bouterse of Suriname (born 1945) has been a military sports instructor, coup leader, army leader and a politician in the Nationaal Democratische Partij (NDP). ... 1982 is a number and represents a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar Events January January 6 - William Bonin is convicted of being the freeway killer. January 8 - AT&T agrees to divest itself of twenty-two subdivisions January 11 - Mark Thatcher, son of the British Prime... 1983 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The cabinet Balkenende-1 comprised 14 ministers and 14 state secretaries, with each post allocated to one of the coalition parties. Each of the ministers headed a department, with the exception of one "minister without a portfolio" to deal with "foreigners policy and integration", accommodated by the Ministry of Justice.

In the months following the election, the recently established LPF was beset by power struggles between various factions. This came to a head in October 2002 with a dispute between the cabinet ministers Eduard Bomhoff and Herman Heinsbroek. On October 15 Balkenendeasked both to resign from the cabinet, with the LPF faction in parliament making a similar request. On October 16 Bomhoff and Heinsbroek resigned. However party leaders Gerrit Zalm of the VVD and Maxime Verhagen of the CDA said they no longer had confidence in the cabinet. Balkenende announced the resignation of the cabinet on the same day. October is the tenth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... 2002 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... October 15 is the 288th day of the year (289th in Leap years). ... October 16 is the 289th day of the year (290th in Leap years). ... Gerrit Zalm (born May 6, 1952) is Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of the Netherlands. ... The Volkspartij voor Vrijheid en Democratie (VVD), literally Peoples Party for Freedom and Democracy, is a free market liberal party in the Netherlands. ...

Meetings with the Queen did not take place until the week after the resignation, since she had attended the funeral of her husband Claus von Amsbergon October 15 and had travelled to Italy immediately afterwards. On October 21 she accepted the resignation and new elections were called for January 22, 2003. The cabinet remained in place as a "caretaker" administration, without Bomhoff and Heinsbroek, until the elections and formation of a new cabinet. Claus van Amsberg (born von Amsberg) (September 6, 1926 - October 6, 2002) was a German diplomat and the husband of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands. ... October 15 is the 288th day of the year (289th in Leap years). ... October 21 is the 294th day of the year (295th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 71 days remaining. ... January 22 is the 22nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2003 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

On December 12, 2002, Benk Korthals resigned as caretaker Minister of Defence after a commission of inquiry into building industry fraud accused him of giving false information to the Lower House during the previous cabinet. After resigning he said he still denied the allegations. December 12 is the 346th day (347th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2002 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Cabinet actions

• Revoked a planned ban on mink farming initiated by the previous cabinet Telegraaf 2002-10-10 (http://archief.telegraaf.nl/artikel.fpl?id=277339&pagina=0)
• Approved an expansion of the European Union.
• Support for the United States in its plan to invade Iraq.
• Cuts to a subsidised jobs scheme of Ad Melkert, the Melkertbanen.
• Reorganisation of defence (and budget cuts?) involving 4800 job losses www.regering.nl 2002-12-02 (http://www.regering.nl/actueel/nieuwsarchief/2002/12December/02/42_11953.jsp?ComponentID=11953)
• Reduction of spending on public transport of 39 million euros in 2003 (originally to be 60 million) www.regering.nl 2002-11-19 (http://www.regering.nl/actueel/nieuwsarchief/2002/11November/19/42_11623.jsp?ComponentID=11623)
• Cuts to the budgets of most government departments, but with increased spending in some areas.

Ministers An American Mink, Mustela vison, in the wild. ... The 2003 invasion of Iraq, also called simply the Iraq War or Operation: Iraqi Freedom, is a war that began March 20, 2003, fought between a group of troops consisting primarily of American and British, but also Polish, Australian and several other nations forces, and Iraq. ... Ad Melkert (1956) is a Dutch politician and an Executive Director of the World Bank. ...

State Secretaries Prime Minister of the Netherlands Jan Peter Balkenende  listen (* May 7, 1956) is Prime Minister of The Netherlands since July 22, 2002. ... Jaap de Hoop Scheffer (right) and Jan Peter Balkenende Jaap de Hoop Scheffer (left) and Colin Powell Jaap de Hoop Scheffer  listen (born April 3, 1948) is the 11th NATO Secretary General and a Dutch politician. ...

(*) Alternative title that can be used outside the Netherlands. Emancipation means becoming free and equal; the term can be used in various contexts: historically, a slave becoming free by being set free by the owner (manumission), voluntarily or in accordance with laws requiring it after a certain time or in certain cases, thereby becoming freedman (e. ... September 9 is the 252nd day of the year (253rd in leap years). ... 2002 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

(sources: http://www.volkskrant.nl/1026900268305.html, http://www.minaz.nl/ministerraad/kabinet_1945/index.html and the report of Balkenende to the Queen from http://www.minaz.nl/kabinetsformatie/).

See also:

• Politics of the Netherlands
• Lijst Pim Fortuyn (covers in detail reasons for breakup)