SP member Maarten Hijink leaves the House of Representatives. The 39-year-old politician stops to make more time for his private life, he says via Twitter.
He says that he enjoyed working in the House of Representatives for seventeen years. “At the same time, this work has a major impact on your family life.” Hijink was a Member of Parliament for more than six years. Before that, he was an information officer for SP leader Emile Roemer and a personal assistant to MP Agnes Kant.
Hijink was spokesperson for Care and conducted the many debates with the cabinet about the pandemic during the corona crisis. He will be succeeded this week by Jimmy Dijk, who is currently chairman of the SP in the Groningen city council and is also a member of the party’s executive committee.
Burnout
The high workload in the House of Representatives has been a much-discussed topic in recent times. VVD MP Ockje Tellegen left permanently in October 2022 after a burnout.
In recent years, many politicians have become ill due to overload, such as party leader Esther Ouwehand of the Party for the Animals, MP Pieter Omtzigt and Harry van der Molen of the CDA. They returned after a rest period.
- Ouwehand (PvdD) back in parliament: ‘We are the party par excellence for rural people’
- Worries about work pressure Parliament and political climate: ‘Who wants to do this later?’
- VVD MP Tellegen leaves the House of Representatives permanently due to burnout
