biography
| name: |
Kok, Willem
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known as Wim Kok
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| sex:
| male
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| lived:
| (1938– )
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| biography:
| Trade Union official, politician, and Dutch prime minister (1994–2002), born in Bergambacht, The Netherlands. He studied at the NOIB (Netherlands School for Foreign Service) at Breukelen, and in 1961 joined the building trade union of the NNV (Netherlands Association of Trade Unions), working as economist (1965), secretary (1969), and chairman (1973). After the merger of the NNV and NKV (Netherlands Catholic Trade Union) he became chairman of the Federatie Nederlandse Vakbeweging (Federation of Dutch Trade Unions) in 1981. In 1985 he gave up his trade union posts to enter parliament, where he represented the PvdA (Partij van de Arbeid) from 1986. He served as finance minister and vice-premier (1989–94) and became prime minister of a PvdA, D66 (Democraten '66), and VVD (Volkspartij voor Vrijheid en Democratie) cabinet in 1994. In 2002 he resigned with his entire cabinet following an offical report criticizing the Dutch peace-keeping force and the UN for failing to prevent the 1995 massacre in Srebrenica. |
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