Simone Richardson was sworn in as temporary Member of the Second Chamber on Tuesday. (VVD photo)
THE HAGUE--Simone Richardson (50) was sworn in as temporary Member of the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament on Tuesday.
Richardson, whose father hails from St. Maarten, was sworn in as the newest Member of Parliament (MP) for the liberal democratic VVD party at the start of Tuesday’s plenary meeting. She will be temporarily replacing MP Ockje Tellegen who is on sick leave.
Richardson was born in Heerlen, grew up in Hengelo and currently resides in Haarlemmermeer. Among her expertise areas are sports and movement, healthcare and youth. In the Second Chamber, she will focus on the policy areas youth care and social employment. She was number 47 on the slate of the VVD during the March 2021 Second Chamber elections.
“I am for a Netherlands where many cultures come together and where we can live in freedom. A healthy and open society. A country that offers you opportunities to lead your own life, where you can become who you want to become. Even though that is not always a given nor easy as I know from experience,” Richardson stated on the VVD website.
Richardson is the second MP with St. Maarten roots. Permanent MP Jorien Wuite of the Democratic Party D66 has a mother who hails from St. Maarten. Wuite was appointed after the March 2021 elections and is a member of the Second Chamber’s Permanent Committee for Kingdom Relations.
It is not known how long Richardson will remain MP. MP Tellegen has been on sick leave since March this year and was replaced earlier by two other party members. Tellegen’s most recent replacement, Martijn Gevink was appointed as permanent member of the Second Chamber after the departure of another VVD MP.
