Third Balkenende cabinet
The Third Balkenende cabinet was the Netherlands’ government from July 7, 2006, to February 22, 2007. It was a caretaker, centre-right minority government formed by the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) and the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) after the fall of the previous cabinet. Jan Peter Balkenende was Prime Minister, and Gerrit Zalm was Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister. The cabinet had 16 ministers and 7 state secretaries (18 people in total); because D66 had left the coalition, it operated as a rump cabinet. The CDA held 9 ministerships and 4 state secretaries, while the VVD had 7 ministers and 3 state secretaries.
Its main tasks were to prepare for an early general election in November 2006 and to set the 2007 budget, with immigration as a major domestic issue. Internationally, it dealt with the war on terror and support for the Iraq War.
The cabinet faced several crises. A critical report by the Dutch Safety Board about a Schiphol Airport fire that killed 11 people led to the resignations of Justice Minister Piet Hein Donner and Housing Minister Sybilla Dekker, and the mayor of Haarlemmermeer also resigned. In September 2006 Ernst Hirsch Ballin became Justice Minister and Pieter Winsemius took over housing.
In December 2006, after a new parliament was sworn in, there was debate over suspending expulsions of a group of asylum seekers. The cabinet refused to implement the motion, arguing that a caretaker government should not make such major policies. A motion of no confidence was filed against Immigration Minister Rita Verdonk. Later, the cabinet reshuffled: Verdonk moved to youth crime, and Hirsch Ballin took over immigration policy, allowing the cabinet to stay united.
The cabinet remained in demissionary status until it was superseded by the fourth Balkenende cabinet.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 06:11 (CET).