Kok, Willem

Kok, Willem (1938- ), Dutch trade unionist and socialist politician, leader of the Netherlands Labour Party (1986-2001), Prime Minister of the Netherlands (1994-2002). Often known as Wim Kok for short, he was born at Bergambacht on September 29, 1938. He studied at the Netherlands School of International Business and, after completing his military service, worked briefly for a trading company. From 1961 he served as assistant international officer of the Netherlands Federation of Trade Unions (Construction Section), becoming staff member for economic affairs in 1965, and was appointed union secretary in 1967. Continuing his rise through the Dutch Labour hierarchy, in 1969 Kok became Secretary to the Netherlands Federation of Trade Unions, then Deputy Chairman in 1972 and Chairman in 1973. He retained this post in the new Netherlands Trade Union Confederation created after the incorporation of the Dutch Federation of Catholic Trade Unions. He served as Chairman of the European Trade Union Federation from 1979 to 1982. His other offices included the Vice-Chairmanship of De Nederlandsche Bank, a visiting lectureship at the Institute of Social Studies, and a period as an adviser to the European Commission.

In 1985 Kok left his union post and was elected to the Second Chamber of the States General, the Dutch parliament, in the 1986 elections as a Labour Party deputy, also becoming Leader of the Parliamentary Labour Party. Made Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance in the coalition government of Ruud Lubbers from November 7, 1989, he was elected Deputy Chairman of the Socialist International in the same year. After months of negotiation following the defeat of Lubbers’ Christian Democrats in the May 1994 elections, Kok assembled a new coalition with the People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy and the Democrats 66 group, and took office on August 22, 1994, as Prime Minister and Minister for General Affairs. One of his first tasks as Prime Minister was to introduce emergency programmes of dyke reinforcement following the near-disastrous high water levels of February 1995. In foreign policy, he became a strong supporter of the European Union (EU), backing economic and monetary union and other plans for closer European integration, especially during the Dutch presidency of the EU in the period January to June 1997. Kok and his government were returned to power in the general election of May 1998. However, Kok threatened to resign in June 1999 when his government's junior coalition partner, D-66, said it would withdraw its support after the upper house of parliament rejected its draft law enabling people to veto some government decisions through referendums. Only the mediation of Queen Beatrix resolved the crisis. Intending to stand down at the election in May 2002, Kok resigned the leadership of the Labour Party in favour of social affairs minister Ad Melkert in October 2001. A critical government report over the political and military role of the Dutch in failing to defend the United Nations 'safe haven' of Srebrenica during the Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian War in 1995 led to the resignation of the entire Cabinet in April: Kok was asked to serve in a caretaker capacity until the elections had been held.