René Claassen

Dutch politician (born 1971)
René Claassen
René Claassen in 2023
Member of the House of Representatives
Incumbent
Assumed office
6 December 2023
Municipal councilor of Landgraaf
In office
30 March 2022 – 6 December 2023
Member of the Provincial Council of Limburg
In office
28 March 2019 – 6 December 2023
Personal details
Born
R.A.B. Claassen

(1971-07-13) 13 July 1971 (age 52)
Heerlen, Netherlands
Political partyPVV
Alma materMaastricht University (MSc)
Occupation
  • Politician

R.A.B. (René) Claassen (born 13 July 1971) is a Dutch politician representing the Party for Freedom (PVV). He has been a member of the Provincial Council of Limburg since 2019 and a Member of the House of Representatives since the 2023 Dutch general election.

Early life and education

Claassen was born in Heerlen on 13 July 1971. He trained as a nurse and was employed in various roles in the healthcare industry before working as a training manager at the Zuyd University of Applied Sciences and completing a master's degree in applied science from Maastricht University.[1][2][3]

Political career

Claassen was elected to the Provincial Council of Limburg in March 2019 and to the municipal council of Landgraaf in March 2022. He quit both positions in December 2023.[1]

During the 2023 Dutch general election, he was elected to the House of Representatives on the PVV's candidate list, and he became the party's spokesperson for curative healthcare.[1][4] When the House was considering to expand a pilot program to legalize the cultivation and supply of cannabis, Claassen instead proposed to put it on hold. His motion was not supported by a majority.[5]

Electoral history

This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (December 2023)
Electoral history of René Claassen
Year Body Party Pos. Votes Result Ref.
Party seats Individual
2021 House of Representatives Party for Freedom 31 657 17 Lost [6]
2023 House of Representatives Party for Freedom 6 3,764 37 Won [7]

References

  1. ^ a b c "R.A.B. (René) Claassen MSc". Parlement.com. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
  2. ^ "Over René Claasen" [About René Claasen]. Partij voor de Vrijheid Landgraaf (in Dutch). Retrieved 7 December 2023.
  3. ^ "René Claassen op nummer zes kandidatenlijst PVV" [René Claassen at number six on the PVV candidate list]. 1Limburg (in Dutch). 25 September 2023. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
  4. ^ "Tweede Kamerfractie" [House of Representatives group]. Party for Freedom (in Dutch). Retrieved 31 March 2024.
  5. ^ Bhikhie, Avinash (5 March 2024). "Kamer stemt tegen uitbreiding wietproef, maar wil door met experiment" [House votes against expansion cannabis pilot but does want to continue]. de Volkskrant (in Dutch). Retrieved 5 March 2024.
  6. ^ "Proces-verbaal verkiezingsuitslag Tweede Kamer 2021" [Report of the election results House of Representatives 2021] (PDF). Dutch Electoral Council (in Dutch). 29 March 2021. pp. 18–19. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  7. ^ "Proces-verbaal van de uitslag van de verkiezing van de Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal 2023 d.d. 4 december 2023" [Report of the results of the election of the House of Representatives on 4 December 2023] (PDF). Dutch Electoral Council (in Dutch). 4 December 2023. pp. 33–34. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  • v
  • t
  • e
House of Representatives
6 December 2023 – present
Party for Freedom
(PVV – 37)
GroenLinks–Labour Party
(GL/PvdA – 25)People's Party for
Freedom and Democracy
(VVD – 24)New Social Contract
(NSC – 20)Democrats 66
(D66 – 9)Farmer–Citizen Movement
(BBB – 7)Christian Democratic Appeal
(CDA – 5)Socialist Party
(SP – 5)DENK
(DENK – 3)Party for the Animals
(PvdD – 3)Forum for Democracy
(FVD – 3)Reformed Political Party
(SGP – 3)Christian Union
(CU – 3)Volt Netherlands
(Volt – 2)JA21
(JA21 – 1)
 Bold  indicates the parliamentary leader (first mentioned) and the Speaker;  (Brackets)  indicate a temporarily absent member;
 Italics  indicate a temporary member;  ‹Guillemets›  indicate a member who has left the House of Representatives
See also: Members of the Senate of the Netherlands, 2023–2027