Two Turkey-origin women to serve in new Dutch government

ANKARA

Two women lawmakers of Turkey-origin will take their seats in the new four-party coalition government, with the parties reaching an agreement under the leadership of Prime Minister Mark Rutte after a 271-day government-free period in the country.

Dilan Yeşilgöz-Zegerius, a 44-year-old politician of the right-wing People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) who has been a member of the House of Representatives since the 2017 general election, will be the country’s new justice and security minister.

Born in Ankara and emigrated to the Netherlands as her father, a member of the Confederation of Revolutionary Trade Unions of Turkey (DİSK), applied for asylum right after the 1980 military coup, Yeşilgöz-Zegerius served as economic affairs and climate policy minister in the previous term.

Another Turkey-origin politician who will take part in the Dutch government is Günay Uslu, a member of a family settled in the Netherlands from Central Anatolian province of Afyonkarahisar’s Emirdağ district. She is also the sister of Atılay Uslu, the founder of Corendon tourism firm.

Uslu, who had been working as the development director at her family’s company, will now assume the role of minister of state for media and culture in the new government. The 49-year-old politician is also an expert on European cultural history, heritage and museums.

She has been appointed to the cabinet from outside of the parliament by D66, a social liberal and progressive political party.