Hoekstra pursues man’s appointment as Foreign Affairs director

Minister Hoekstra will continue the promotion of Marcel de Vink to the post of Director General of Political Affairs at Foreign Affairs. The cabinet agreed to De Vink’s appointment. His choice last week led to turmoil at the ministry.

In a letter, hundreds of officials criticized the way top posts in the Foreign Office are filled. They believe that too few women are appointed and that the objectives of a proportional distribution are far from being achieved.

An internal procedure for the management post had revealed another candidate: Birgitta Tazelaar had been nominated by a unanimous selection committee. She is now Deputy Director General for International Cooperation at the Ministry. Today it was announced that the late Tazelaar will get another job: she will become an ambassador to Washington in the summer of next year.

Hoekstra chose De Vink at the last minute

In the vacant post of Director General for Political Affairs, Minister Hoekstra opted at the last minute for De Vink, the current Deputy Director General for Political Affairs. His appointment will take effect in August in what is considered the most influential official post in the ministry.

Hoekstra, who calls herself a feminist, described the action of officials who advocated for more leadership positions for women as “really cool”† He also endorsed the letter writers’ message, but declined to comment on the specific nomination.