THE HAGUE - Former PVV parliamentarian Reinette Klever, who once argued for abolishing all foreign aid and using that money to scrap the healthcare deductible, is the far-right party’s candidate to become Minister of Foreign Trade and Development Aid, sources told NOS. The names of the candidates for all Minister positions have now leaked, RTL Nieuws reported. The candidates for a few State Secretary jobs are still unknown. 

Klever, a business economist, was a PVV parliamentarian between 2012 and 2017, speaking on the topics of energy and healthcare. In a 2016 parliamentary debate, she argued in favor of scrapping development aid so that Netherlands residents no longer have to pay a healthcare deductible. 

The candidates for all Minister positions in the Schoof I Cabinet have now leaked to the press. The only names missing are for four PVV and two VVD State Secretaries. The leaked names have not been officially announced and could still change in the run-up to the new Cabinet taking office. The appointment is only final once they’ve been sworn in by the King. 

From tomorrow, formateur Richard van Zwol will have one-on-one meetings with the candidates to make sure they’re suitable. He’ll broach all relevant topics for a new Minister, ranging from paid and unpaid ancillary functions to business and financial interests to personal health. He has to warn them about the physically demanding job that awaits and ask the important question: is there anything “from the past or present” that could put the candidate themself or the Cabinet “in a difficult situation?” 

If everything goes smoothly, the Schoof I Cabinet could take office at the end of June or the start of July.