Esther Ouwehand

Dutch politician and marketing manager

Esther Ouwehand (born 10 June 1976) is a Dutch animal rights activist and politician of the Party for the Animals (Partij voor de Dieren - PvdD).

Esther Ouwehand
Party leader
Assumed office
9 October 2019
Preceded byMarianne Thieme
Parliamentary group leader
Assumed office
9 October 2019
Preceded byMarianne Thieme
In office
11 October 2018 – 31 January 2019
Preceded byMarianne Thieme
Succeeded byMarianne Thieme
Acting
In office
24 January 2012 – 14 May 2012
Preceded byMarianne Thieme
Succeeded byMarianne Thieme
Member of the House of Representatives
Assumed office
18 October 2016
Preceded byFrank Wassenberg
In office
30 November 2006 – 17 November 2015
Preceded by/
Succeeded byFrank Wassenberg
Personal details
Born (1976-06-10) 10 June 1976 (age 47)
Katwijk, South Holland, Netherlands
NationalityDutch
Political partyParty for the Animals (PvdD)
ResidenceLeiden, South Holland, Netherlands
Alma materFree University Amsterdam (not completed)
Websitewww.parlement.com

Politics change

The Party of the Animals gained for the first time some (two) seats in the House of Representatives in the 2006 Dutch general election, which enabled Ouwehand and party leader Marianne Thieme to enter parliament. Since 30 November 2006, she has been a parliamentarian, with an interruption from November 2015 to October 2016 due to a burnout.

Since 9 October 2019, she has been both parliamentary and party leader, as successor of Thieme (for a brief period she was already parliamentary leader, from October 2018 to January 2019).

She leaded the PvdD into the 2021 Dutch general election in March 2021.

Background change

Ouwehand studied policy, communication, and organisation at the Free University Amsterdam, but did not complete her studies.

She started working as a marketeer for youth magazines at Sanoma Uitgevers. After the establishment of the Party for the Animals in 2002, she worked at the party office until 2006.

Esther Ouwehand was born and grew up in the coastal town of Katwijk, a conservative Protestant environment, but considers herself nonreligious. She is married with no children, is a vegan and lives in the neighbouring city of Leiden.

Book change

  • 2021 - Dieren kunnen de pest krijgen. En dan?

References change

Other websites change