Lilian Maria Johanna Sibertha Helder (born 30 May 1973) is a Dutch politician and former lawyer.
Life and career
Helder was born in 1973 in
Venlo
Venlo () is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in southeastern Netherlands, close to the border with Germany. It is situated in the province of Limburg (Netherlands), ...
, as an only child in Catholic family. She studied law at
Radboud University Nijmegen
Radboud University (abbreviated as RU, , formerly ) is a public university, public research university located in Nijmegen, Netherlands. RU has seven faculties and more than 24,000 students.
Established in 1923, Radboud University has consistentl ...
.
Helder worked at the municipality of
Helden and for several
law firm
A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise consumer, clients (individuals or corporations) about their legal rights and Obligation, respon ...
s.
She became a member of the
House of Representatives
House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...
on 17 June 2010 on behalf of the
Party for Freedom
The Party for Freedom ( , PVV) is a right-wing populist, far-right political party in the Netherlands. Geert Wilders is the founder, party leader, and sole registered member of the party.
Founded in 2006 as the successor to Wilders' one-ma ...
(PVV), focusing on matters of the
judiciary
The judiciary (also known as the judicial system, judicature, judicial branch, judiciative branch, and court or judiciary system) is the system of courts that adjudicates legal disputes/disagreements and interprets, defends, and applies the law ...
. In September 2023, Helder switched to the
Farmer–Citizen Movement
The Farmer–Citizen Movement ( ; BBB) is an agrarian and right-wing populist political party in the Netherlands. It is headquartered in Deventer, Overijssel. The current party leader is founder Caroline van der Plas, who has led it since its ...
(BBB), and she subsequently served as the party's spokesperson for justice, security, and the interior. She handed over part of her portfolio to
Marieke Wijen-Nass when she entered parliament in July 2024. Along with
Ulysse Ellian (
VVD
The People's Party for Freedom and Democracy ( , VVD) is a conservative-liberal political party in the Netherlands. The VVD, whose forerunner was the Freedom Party, is a party of the centre-right that tries to promote private enterprise and ...
), Helder was
rapporteur
A rapporteur is a person who is appointed by an organization to report on the proceedings of its meetings. The term is a French-derived word.
For example, Dick Marty was appointed ''rapporteur'' by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Eur ...
for the Committee for Justice and Security on the overhaul of the , and she called in sick in December 2024, when her party decided that it would not prioritize the issue. On 3 February 2025, she announced her resignation from the House, citing irreconcilable disagreements with party leader
Caroline van der Plas. In addition to her recent experiences, Helder was disappointed that she had not been included by the BBB in
formation talks, and she revealed that she had not endorsed the resulting
coalition agreement
A coalition government, or coalition cabinet, is a government by political parties that enter into a power-sharing arrangement of the executive. Coalition governments usually occur when no single party has achieved an absolute majority after an e ...
, discontent with its provisions on justice and security.
Electoral history
References
*
Parlement.com biography
External links
*
House of Representatives biography
1973 births
Living people
20th-century Dutch civil servants
21st-century Dutch lawyers
21st-century Dutch women politicians
21st-century Dutch women lawyers
Farmer–Citizen Movement politicians
Dutch MPs 2023–
Party for Freedom politicians
Politicians from Venlo
Radboud University Nijmegen alumni
Dutch MPs 2010–2012
Dutch MPs 2012–2017
Dutch MPs 2017–2021
Dutch MPs 2021–2023
Party for Freedom MPs
Farmer–Citizen Movement MPs
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