Peter Valstar

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Peter Valstar
Peter valstar-1630950156.jpeg
Member of the House of Representatives
Assumed office
31 March 2021
Personal details
Born
P.J. Valstar[1]

(1985-03-27) 27 March 1985 (age 36)
's-Gravenzande, Netherlands
Political partyPeople's Party for Freedom and Democracy
Alma materInholland University of Applied Sciences
Occupation
  • Politician
  • political staffer
Websitepetervalstar.nl

Peter J. Valstar (born 27 March 1985) is a Dutch politician of the conservative liberal People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD). He worked as a press officer for the VVD, as the political assistant of Minister Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert and Prime Minister Mark Rutte, and as a spokesperson at the Ministry of Defence before being elected to the House of Representatives in March 2021.

Early life and education[]

Valstar was born in the South Holland town of 's-Gravenzande and grew up in nearby Ter Heijde with his sister.[2][3] He followed secondary education at havo level at the Zandevelt and Gasthuislaan locations of the Interconfessionele Scholengemeenschap Westland in 's-Gravenzande. He subsequently started studying Management, Economics, and Law but quit after two months.[2][3] Valstar later studied communication studies at the Inholland University of Applied Sciences in The Hague between 2005 and 2009 and interned at early-evening talk show De wereld draait door.[1][2][3]

Career[]

Valstar (right) with Defence Minister Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert (middle)

Valstar started his career in 2009 as a communications advisor for the VVD, where he worked on its social media strategy, and he became a press officer of its parliamentary group in the House of Representatives in 2011.[1][2] He stayed in that position until he took a job as political advisor of Defence Minister Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert in 2016. Another year later, Valstar became a senior spokesperson at the Ministry of Defence, serving under her successor Ank Bijleveld and Defence State Secretary Barbara Visser.[4] While still in that position, he twice served as temporary political advisor of Prime Minister Mark Rutte at the Ministry of General Affairs because of maternity leaves, the first time from August 2018 to January 2019 and the second time from March to August 2020.[1][2][5][6]

He participated in the 2018 municipal elections as the VVD's fourth candidate in Westland, but his party came one seat short for Valstar to be elected to the municipal council.[7] He was offered a seat in the council a month later after someone had stepped down to become an alderman, but Valstar declined it.[8] He did assist the VVD's group in the council next to his job in the period 2019–21.[9] From that position, he proposed to name more streets in the municipality after local soldiers and resistance fighters in World War II.[10]

Valstar ran for the House of Representatives in the 2021 general election, being placed 21st on the VVD's party list.[2] He was elected and received 4,102 preference votes.[11] He was sworn into office on 31 March 2021 and left his job at the defence ministry. Valstar is on the contact group Belgium and on the Committees for Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality; for Defence; for Digital Affairs; and for Foreign Affairs.[1] He became his party's spokesperson for fishery, nature, horticulture (a major industry in Westland), the countryside, animal welfare, war victims, and resistance fighters.[12] However, later in 2021, his portfolio changed to nature, horticulture, and immigration (excluding migrant workers) before changing to defense in early 2022.[13]

Personal life[]

Valstar has a wife named Larissa and two children, and he is a resident of his birthplace of 's-Gravenzande.[1][3] He has also lived in Monster, Ter Heijde, Wateringen, and Naaldwijk, all located in the region of Westland.[2] Valstar's hobbies include genealogy, and he has digitized his family tree together with a family member.[14]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d e f "Peter Valstar". Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g De Zeeuw, Rianne (1 December 2020). "Westlander Peter Valstar (35) krijgt prominente plek op VVD-lijst voor Tweede Kamer" [Peter Valstar (35) from Westland receives high place on VVD list for the House of Representatives]. AD (in Dutch). Retrieved 21 December 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d "Kies Westlands, stem Valstar" [Choose for Westland, vote for Valstar]. petervalstar.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 21 December 2021.
  4. ^ "Biografie, onderwijs en loopbaan van Peter Valstar" [Biography, education, and career of Peter Valstar]. Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal (in Dutch). Retrieved 21 December 2021.
  5. ^ Joosten, Carla (8 September 2018). "Mensen" [People]. Elsevier Weekblad (in Dutch). Vol. 74, no. 36. p. 80.
  6. ^ "P.J. (Peter) Valstar". Parlement.com (in Dutch). Retrieved 21 December 2021.
  7. ^ Vermeer, Fred (8 November 2017). "Corné van Zeijl op lijst van VVD" [Corné van Zeijl on VVD list]. AD/Haagsche Courant (in Dutch). p. 5.
  8. ^ Lelieveld, Bart (7 May 2018). "'Niet zien aankomen, wel zin in'" ['Did not see it coming, but I am excited']. AD (in Dutch). Retrieved 21 December 2021.
  9. ^ "Nevenactiviteiten van Peter Valstar" [Secondary activities of Peter Valstar]. Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal (in Dutch). Retrieved 21 December 2021.
  10. ^ De Zeeuw, Rianne (4 October 2019). "'Westland verdient een verzetsheldenbuurt'" ['Westland deserves a resistance fighters neighborhood']. AD (in Dutch). Retrieved 21 December 2021.
  11. ^ "Uitslag Tweede Kamerverkiezing 17 maart 2021 Proces-verbaal" [Results general election 17 March 2021 Report] (PDF). Kiesraad (in Dutch). 29 March 2021. p. 157. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
  12. ^ "Portefeuilleverdeling" [Division of roles]. VVD (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 2 April 2021. Retrieved 21 December 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  13. ^ "Peter Valstar". VVD (in Dutch). Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  14. ^ De Zeeuw, Rianne (3 March 2021). "Peter Valstar wil 'comfortabele tweede ring uit': 'Meedingen naar portefeuilles tuinbouw of defensie'" [Peter Valstar wants 'to leave comfortable second ring': 'Compete for specialties horticulture or defence']. AD (in Dutch). Retrieved 21 December 2021.

External links[]

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