Farid Azarkan (born 16 October 1971) is a Dutch politician who has been serving as the

Leader Leadership, is defined as the ability of an individual, group, or organization to "", influence, or guide other individuals, teams, or organizations. "Leadership" is a contested term. Specialist literature debates various viewpoints on the co ...

of Denk since 26 September 2020. Additionally, he has been 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 ...

since 23 March 2017. Azarkan previously held the position of

parliamentary leader A parliamentary leader is a political title or a descriptive term used in various countries to designate the person leading a parliamentary group or caucus in a legislature, legislative body, whether it be a national or sub-national legislature. ...

between 21 March 2020 and 3 August 2023. Azarkan was the ''

lijsttrekker In politics, a lead candidate (; , ) is the candidate placed first on a party list. In parliamentary systems, it is often the party's nominee for the position of head of government, and the party chair or party leader. Usage by country Net ...

'' for Denk in the 2021 general election.

Controversies

In February 2017, reports surfaced indicating that certain members of the youth department of Denk had created fake social media profiles with the intent of influencing public opinion. Tunahan Kuzu acknowledged the existence of these internet trolls and stated that they would be held accountable for their actions. Furthermore, Kuzu said that "Farid Azarkan may have given some sort of permission, but that is not entirely clear." Azarkan has been criticised for designing a banner in the style of the PVV with the image of the populist politician

Geert Wilders Geert Wilders (born 6 September 1963) is a Dutch politician who has led the far-right Party for Freedom (PVV) since he founded it in 2006. He is also the party's leader in the House of Representatives. Wilders is best known for his right-wing p ...

and the logo of the PVV with the slogan "After March 15, we will purify the Netherlands". According to Denk, the idea behind the campaign would have been to "show how far the PVV can go." Nonetheless, the party management, Selçuk Öztürk and Tunahan Kuzu, decided not to place the advertisement.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Azarkan, Farid 1971 births Living people 21st-century Dutch civil servants Denk politicians Dutch Muslims Leaders of political parties in the Netherlands Moroccan emigrants to the Netherlands Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam alumni Dutch MPs 2017–2021 Dutch MPs 2021–2023