The first Lubbers

cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filin ...

was the

executive branch The executive branch is the part of government which executes or enforces the law. Function The scope of executive power varies greatly depending on the political context in which it emerges, and it can change over time in a given country. In ...

of the

Dutch Government The Netherlands is a parliamentary representative democracy. A constitutional monarchy, the country is organised as a decentralised unitary state.''Civil service systems in Western Europe'' edited by A. J. G. M. Bekke, Frits M. Meer, Edward E ...

from 4 November 1982 until 14 July 1986. The cabinet was formed by the

christian-democratic Christian democracy is an ideology inspired by Christian social teaching to respond to the challenges of contemporary society and politics. Christian democracy has drawn mainly from Catholic social teaching and neo-scholasticism, as well a ...

Christian Democratic Appeal The Christian Democratic Appeal ( , CDA) is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in the Netherlands. Formed as a federation in 1975 by the Catholic People's Party, the Anti-Revolutionary Party, and the Christian Historical ...

(CDA) and the conservative-liberal

People's Party for Freedom and Democracy The People's Party for Freedom and Democracy ( , VVD) is a Conservative liberalism, conservative-liberal List of political parties in the Netherlands, political party in the Netherlands. The VVD, whose forerunner was the Freedom Party (Netherl ...

(VVD) after the election of 1982. The cabinet was a right-wing coalition and had a substantial

majority A majority is more than half of a total; however, the term is commonly used with other meanings, as explained in the "#Related terms, Related terms" section below. It is a subset of a Set (mathematics), set consisting of more than half of the se ...

in 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 ...

with Christian Democratic Leader

Ruud Lubbers Rudolphus Franciscus Marie "Ruud" Lubbers (; 7 May 1939 – 14 February 2018) was a Dutch politician, diplomat and businessman who served as prime minister of the Netherlands from 1982 to 1994, and as United Nations High Commissioner for Refug ...

serving as

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

. Prominent

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * Generally, a supporter of the political philosophy liberalism. Liberals may be politically left or right but tend to be centrist. * An adherent of a Liberal Party (See also Liberal parties by country ...

politician Gijs van Aardenne, a former Minister of Economic Affairs, served as

Deputy Prime Minister A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a Minister (government), government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to th ...

and returned Minister of Economic Affairs. The cabinet served during the

Economic expansion An economic expansion is an upturn in the level of economic activity and of the goods and services available. It is a finite period of growth, often measured by a rise in real GDP, that marks a reversal from a previous period, for example, whi ...

of the 1980s, domestically it was able to implement several major social reforms to

Social security Welfare spending is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specifically to social insurance ...

and stimulating

privatization Privatization (rendered privatisation in British English) can mean several different things, most commonly referring to moving something from the public sector into the private sector. It is also sometimes used as a synonym for deregulation w ...

and

sustainable development Sustainable development is an approach to growth and Human development (economics), human development that aims to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.United Nations General ...

and dealing with

early 1980s recession The early 1980s recession was a severe economic recession that affected much of the world between approximately the start of 1980 and 1982. Long-term effects of the early 1980s recession contributed to the Latin American debt crisis, long-lastin ...

, internationally it had to deal with several crises such as the decision to allow

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

to place the

Medium Extended Air Defense System The Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS) is a ground-mobile air and missile defense system intended to replace the Patriot missile system through a NATO-managed development. The program is a development of the United States, Germany and Ital ...

(MEADS) at

Woensdrecht Air Base Woensdrecht Air Base () is a military airport between the villages of Woensdrecht and Huijbergen, about south of the city of Bergen op Zoom in the Netherlands. It is located near the A58 motorway and the border with Belgium. The airport was fo ...

. The cabinet suffered several major internal conflicts including a critical parliamentary inquiry into Deputy Prime Minister Van Aardenne, but completed its entire term and was succeeded by a continuation of the coalition in the

Second Lubbers cabinet The second Lubbers cabinet of the Netherlands, cabinet was the Executive (government), executive branch of the Politics of the Netherlands, Dutch Government from 14 July 1986 until 7 November 1989. The cabinet was a continuation of the previous ...

following the election of 1986.

Formation

Following the fall of the Second Van Agt cabinet on 12 May 1982 the Labour Party (PvdA) left the coalition, subsequently on 14 May 1982

Queen Beatrix Beatrix (Beatrix Wilhelmina Armgard, ; born 31 January 1938) is a member of the Dutch royal house who reigned as Queen of the Netherlands from 30 April 1980 until her abdication in 2013. Beatrix was born during the reign of her maternal gr ...

appointed

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...

Piet Steenkamp Petrus Antonius Josephus Maria "Piet" Steenkamp (8 March 1925 – 8 January 2016) was a Dutch politician of the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) party. Early & Personal life From 1949 to 1954, Steenkamp was a business economics employee in his ...

(CDA) as

informateur A formateur (French for "someone who forms, who constitutes") is a politician who is appointed to lead the formation of a coalition government, after either a general election or the collapse of a previous government. The role of the formateur i ...

to look at the possibilities of the Labour Party rejoining the coalition. After negotiations between the parties,

failed to reach an agreement between the parties. On 25 May 1982 Queen Beatrix appointed incumbent Prime Minister

Dries van Agt Andreas Antonius Maria "Dries" van Agt (; 2 February 1931 – 5 February 2024) was a Dutch politician, jurist and diplomat who served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 19 December 1977 until 4 November 1982. He was a prominent leader o ...

(CDA) as

formateur A formateur (French for "someone who forms, who constitutes") is a politician who is appointed to lead the formation of a coalition government, after either a general election or the collapse of a previous government. The role of the formateur i ...

to form a

rump cabinet A rump cabinet is a Cabinet (government), cabinet from which one or more Coalition government, coalition partners have withdrawn and which has minority support in parliament. Netherlands In the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Netherlands a rump cabine ...

with the

(CDA) and the

Democrats 66 Democrats 66 (; D66) is a social liberal and progressive political party in the Netherlands, which is positioned on the centre to centre-left of the political spectrum. It is a member of the Liberal International (LI) and the Alliance of Li ...

(D'66). On 29 May 1982 the

Third Van Agt cabinet The third Van Agt cabinet of the Netherlands, cabinet was the Executive (government), executive branch of the Politics of the Netherlands, Dutch Government from 29 May 1982 until 4 November 1982. The cabinet was formed by the Christian democrac ...

was installed and served as a

caretaker government A caretaker government, also known as a caretaker regime, is a temporary ''ad hoc'' government that performs some governmental duties and functions in a country until a regular government is elected or formed. Depending on specific practice, it co ...

until the election of 1982. After the election on 8 September 1982 the Labour Party of

Joop den Uyl Johannes Marten den Uijl (9 August 1919 – 24 December 1987), better known as Joop den Uyl (), was a Dutch politician and economist who served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 1973 to 1977. He was a member of the Labour Party (PvdA ...

was the winner of the election winning 3 new seats and had now a total of 47 seats. The CDA of incumbent Prime Minister Van Agt lost 3 seats and now had 45 seats. The

under the new leadership of

Ed Nijpels Eduardus Hermannus Theresia Maria Nijpels (born 1 April 1950) is a Dutch politician of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) and nonprofit director. Biography Nijpels studied Civil law at the Utrecht University obtaining a Maste ...

was the biggest winner gaining 10 new seats and now had a total of 36 seats in the

. On 10 September 1982 Queen Beatrix appointed Member of the House of Representatives

Jos van Kemenade Josephus Antonius van Kemenade (6 March 1937 – 19 February 2020) was a Dutch politician of the Labour Party (Netherlands), Labour Party (PvdA) and sociologist. He was granted the honorary title of Minister of State (Netherlands), Minister of S ...

(PvdA), the former Minister of Education and Sciences as informateur to start the cabinet formation process. The first round of talks between the Labour Party and the CDA were troubled by the personal animosity between incumbent Prime Minister and

leader of the Christian Democratic Appeal The Party leader, Leader of the Christian Democratic Appeal is the most senior politician within the Christian Democratic Appeal (, CDA) in the Netherlands.The current leader has been Henri Bontenbal since 14 August 2023. History The leaders o ...

Dries van Agt and former Prime Minister and Leader of the Labour Party Den Uyl. Van Agt had served as

under Den Uyl his

, and Den Uyl had served as

under Van Agt in his Second cabinet. On 30 September 1982 after long negotiations between the parties,

failed to reach an agreement to form a new coalition. On 1 October 1982

appointed Vice-President of the Council of State

Willem Scholten Willem Scholten (1 June 1927 – 1 January 2005) was a Dutch politician of the defunct Christian Historical Union (CHU) party and later the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) party and economist. He was granted the honorary title of Minister of ...

(CDA), a former

Minister of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divid ...

as informateur to start a cabinet formation process between the CDA and the

. Soon thereafter incumbent Prime Minister and leader of the CDA Van Agt unexpectedly announced his retirement from national politics and stood down as leader of the CDA on 25 October 1982 and subsequently endorsed the

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. ...

of the CDA in the House of Representatives

, a former Minister of Economic Affairs as his successor. On 30 October 1982 the CDA and the VVD agreed to form a coalition and Queen Beatrix subsequently appointed

as formateur and tasked him with forming a new cabinet. On 4 November 1982 the cabinet formation was completed and the First Lubbers cabinet was installed with Lubbers as Prime Minister.

Term

Changes

On 12 November 1982 just 4 days after taking office State Secretary for Defence Charl Schwietert (VVD) resigned after he admitted to have falsified his ''

curriculum vitae In English, a curriculum vitae (,

''. On 12 November 1982 Mayor of Coevorden

Willem Hoekzema Willem Klaas Hoekzema (born 21 July 1939) is a retired Dutch politician of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy The People's Party for Freedom and Democracy ( , VVD) is a Conservative liberalism, conservative-liberal List of polit ...

(VVD) was appointed as his successor. On 20 February 1986

Minister of the Interior An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and identification, emergency ...

Koos Rietkerk (VVD) unexpectedly died in his office from a heart Attack at the age of 58.

Minister of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

Frits Korthals Altes Frederik "Frits" Korthals Altes (15 May 1931 – 19 February 2025) was a Dutch politician of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) and jurist. He was granted the honorary title of Minister of State on 26 October 2001. Background Ko ...

(VVD) served as acting

until 12 March 1986 when Member of the House of Representatives Rudolf de Korte (VVD) was installed as the new

. On 22 June 1986 State Secretary for Economic Affairs

Piet van Zeil Petrus Hendrikus "Piet" van Zeil (3 August 1927 – 10 November 2012) was a Dutch politician of the Catholic People's Party (KVP) and later the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) party and trade union leader.Mayor of Heerlen and because the cabinet was already

demissionary A demissionary cabinet () is a type of caretaker government, caretaker cabinet of the Netherlands, cabinet or provisional government in the politics of the Netherlands, Netherlands. Overview The Dutch demissionary cabinet continues the current g ...

he was not replaced. Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger meets with Prime Minister Lubbers of the Netherlands at the Pentagon 1983

Cabinet members

: : : : : : :

Trivia

* Three cabinet members would later serve as European Commissioner:

Hans van den Broek Henri "Hans" van den Broek (; 11 December 1936 – 22 February 2025) was a Dutch politician and diplomat of the defunct Catholic People's Party (KVP) and later the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) party and jurist who served as European Commi ...

(1993–1999),

Neelie Kroes Neelie Kroes (; born 19 July 1941) is a retired Dutch politician of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) and businessperson who served as European Commissioner from 22 November 2004 to 1 November 2014. Kroes studied Economics at ...

(2004–2014) and

Frits Bolkestein Frederik "Frits" Bolkestein (; 4 April 1933 – 17 February 2025) was a Dutch politician and energy executive who served as Leader of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) from 1990 to 1998 and List of European Commissioners by nati ...

(1999–2004) *

became the youngest Dutch Prime Minister at the age of .

References

External links

;Official *
Kabinet-Lubbers I
Parlement & Politiek *
Kabinet-Lubbers I
Rijksoverheid {{DEFAULTSORT:Lubbers cabinet, First Cabinets of the Netherlands 1982 establishments in the Netherlands 1986 disestablishments in the Netherlands Cabinets established in 1982 Cabinets disestablished in 1986