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Harmen Krul
Harmen Marinus Krul (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈɦɑrmə(ŋ) ˈkrʏl]; born 19 May 1994) is a Dutch politician of the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) and a former Royal Netherlands Navy officer. Krul was mostly raised in Den Helder and joined the Royal Naval College in 2013 after graduating high school. He served as a naval officer, rising to the rank of lieutenant before becoming secretary on the boards of two professional associations for officers in 2020.
At the age of 23, Krul was elected to the Den Helder Municipal Council in 2018 after the CDA asked him to be its lead candidate. During the campaign, Krul criticized uncooperative behavior in local politics, and after his election, he was appointed vice chair of the council. Krul received a second term of office in 2022. He unsuccessfully ran as the party's youth candidate for the House of Representatives in the 2021 general election but in February 2023, he was appointed to the body after Raymond Knops resigned.
Krul was born on 19 May 1994 in Blaricum in Gooi, the Netherlands, and grew up in nearby Laren, North Holland. He has a sister. As a child, he moved to the village of Huisduinen in Den Helder, from where his mother originated, and his father died when Krul was twelve. He attended Lyceum aan Zee high school, graduating with a VWO diploma, and he played football as a center-back at FC Den Helder.
In 2013, Krul attended the Royal Naval College in Den Helder. Five years later, he said he was pursuing a degree in digital business administration at the University of Amsterdam concurrent with his naval job. Krul served as part of the Maritime Battle Staff and as second lieutenant of the Surface Assault and Training Group (SATG), which provides logistical support and is based on the island Texel. He remained stationed there so he could attend municipal council meetings. In September 2020, Krul was promoted to the rank of lieutenant (OF-2). The same month, Krul left the SATG to serve as secretary of GOV|MHB, the professional association of officers and civilian personnel of the Dutch armed forces, and as editor-in-chief of its bulletin ProDef. He simultaneously joined one of its member organizations, the Royal Association of Naval Officers (KVMO), as secretary. Krul had already become a board member of the KVMO and chair of its youth group in 2018. Krul remained an active officer but was exempted from military duties, and upon his appointment to the House of Representatives in 2023, he left the navy, GOV|MHB, and the KVMO.
According to Harmen Krul, he came from a leftist family but chose to join the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) because he valued personal responsibility and looking after others. He has also mentioned that the CDA's opposition to defense budget cuts attracted him, and he has called naval officer and Prime Minister Piet de Jong (1915–2016) his idol. In 2017, Krul was asked to give an introduction at a defense-themed CDA campaign event in Den Helder before that year's general election. His speech about the importance of the armed forces drew the attention of attending Member of Parliament (MP) Raymond Knops, who encouraged Krul to become politically active.
Having assisted the CDA's parliamentary group in the Den Helder Municipal Council, Krul was asked to be the party's lead candidate in March 2018 municipal elections. Parliamentary leader Roy Slort did not seek another term because of his job and family. At age 23, Krul was the fourth-youngest lead candidate in the election nationally and the youngest of his party. He supported a merger of municipalities in the Kop van North Holland region during the campaign, and he complained about the local politics of the last years, arguing in favor of more-constructive cooperation. The CDA became the second-largest party in the election behind the local Beter voor Den Helder party (BvDH; Better for Den Helder), winning five out of 31 seats compared to four in the previous election.
Krul was sworn in as a councilor on 29 March 2018. He was also appointed as vice chair of the council, presiding over meetings in the mayor's absence, and as chair of the credentials committee that investigates new council members. Krul was involved in talks to form a coalition government on behalf of the CDA; he wanted the VVD to join a coalition but BvDH opposed this. BvDH allowed the CDA to choose the first formateur but the CDA withdrew from the talks after it sensed distrust against it from the other participating parties. A second formateur Jan Nagel included the VVD in negotiations but they again failed after Krul discovered BvDH had been in a late stage of secretly forming a parallel coalition that excluded the CDA and the VVD. Krul said he felt betrayed and that those actions further damaged the reputation of Den Helder politics. Krul asked BvDH for the initiative for new coalition negotiations after another party withdrew from the secret coalition. BvDH, however, decided for a fourth time to lead the talks and a coalition agreement between seven parties, including BvDH and the CDA, was signed in late June. Den Helder's turbulent politics drew attention from national media outlets.
As parliamentary leader, Krul successfully proposed the re-establishment of a youth council after ten years to advise the municipality. He also said farms should be allowed to house 50 rather that 30 seasonal workers to alleviate nuisances in residential areas. The municipal executive implemented the increase after a motion by Krul was carried. When for the same reason the executive proposed a €185,000 ($210,000 USD) minimum value for properties that could be rented to temporary workers, Krul suggested it should be raised to €200,000 ($220,000 USD). His amendment passed the council. In May 2018, the Seniorenpartij (Seniors' party) left the governing coalition while its alderman stayed on, switching parties. Krul initially found the latter move unacceptable but later accepted it. He proposed a recalibration of the coalition agreement and called for ideas from opposition parties. In 2021, when the government agency Rijkswaterstaat's severe neglect of the historic Den Helder lighthouse Lange Jaap was discovered, Krul contacted MP Pieter Omtzigt, who had been ejected from the CDA months before. Omtzigt subsequently questioned the minister. Krul introduced a motion urging the municipal executive to consider inclusiveness when granting permits for the arrival of Sinterklaas during the yearly namesake tradition. It was supported by a council majority. The Sinterklaas character's black-faced companion Zwarte Piet (Black Pete) part of the celebration, had been criticized nationally for racism.
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Harmen Krul
Harmen Marinus Krul (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈɦɑrmə(ŋ) ˈkrʏl]; born 19 May 1994) is a Dutch politician of the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) and a former Royal Netherlands Navy officer. Krul was mostly raised in Den Helder and joined the Royal Naval College in 2013 after graduating high school. He served as a naval officer, rising to the rank of lieutenant before becoming secretary on the boards of two professional associations for officers in 2020.
At the age of 23, Krul was elected to the Den Helder Municipal Council in 2018 after the CDA asked him to be its lead candidate. During the campaign, Krul criticized uncooperative behavior in local politics, and after his election, he was appointed vice chair of the council. Krul received a second term of office in 2022. He unsuccessfully ran as the party's youth candidate for the House of Representatives in the 2021 general election but in February 2023, he was appointed to the body after Raymond Knops resigned.
Krul was born on 19 May 1994 in Blaricum in Gooi, the Netherlands, and grew up in nearby Laren, North Holland. He has a sister. As a child, he moved to the village of Huisduinen in Den Helder, from where his mother originated, and his father died when Krul was twelve. He attended Lyceum aan Zee high school, graduating with a VWO diploma, and he played football as a center-back at FC Den Helder.
In 2013, Krul attended the Royal Naval College in Den Helder. Five years later, he said he was pursuing a degree in digital business administration at the University of Amsterdam concurrent with his naval job. Krul served as part of the Maritime Battle Staff and as second lieutenant of the Surface Assault and Training Group (SATG), which provides logistical support and is based on the island Texel. He remained stationed there so he could attend municipal council meetings. In September 2020, Krul was promoted to the rank of lieutenant (OF-2). The same month, Krul left the SATG to serve as secretary of GOV|MHB, the professional association of officers and civilian personnel of the Dutch armed forces, and as editor-in-chief of its bulletin ProDef. He simultaneously joined one of its member organizations, the Royal Association of Naval Officers (KVMO), as secretary. Krul had already become a board member of the KVMO and chair of its youth group in 2018. Krul remained an active officer but was exempted from military duties, and upon his appointment to the House of Representatives in 2023, he left the navy, GOV|MHB, and the KVMO.
According to Harmen Krul, he came from a leftist family but chose to join the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) because he valued personal responsibility and looking after others. He has also mentioned that the CDA's opposition to defense budget cuts attracted him, and he has called naval officer and Prime Minister Piet de Jong (1915–2016) his idol. In 2017, Krul was asked to give an introduction at a defense-themed CDA campaign event in Den Helder before that year's general election. His speech about the importance of the armed forces drew the attention of attending Member of Parliament (MP) Raymond Knops, who encouraged Krul to become politically active.
Having assisted the CDA's parliamentary group in the Den Helder Municipal Council, Krul was asked to be the party's lead candidate in March 2018 municipal elections. Parliamentary leader Roy Slort did not seek another term because of his job and family. At age 23, Krul was the fourth-youngest lead candidate in the election nationally and the youngest of his party. He supported a merger of municipalities in the Kop van North Holland region during the campaign, and he complained about the local politics of the last years, arguing in favor of more-constructive cooperation. The CDA became the second-largest party in the election behind the local Beter voor Den Helder party (BvDH; Better for Den Helder), winning five out of 31 seats compared to four in the previous election.
Krul was sworn in as a councilor on 29 March 2018. He was also appointed as vice chair of the council, presiding over meetings in the mayor's absence, and as chair of the credentials committee that investigates new council members. Krul was involved in talks to form a coalition government on behalf of the CDA; he wanted the VVD to join a coalition but BvDH opposed this. BvDH allowed the CDA to choose the first formateur but the CDA withdrew from the talks after it sensed distrust against it from the other participating parties. A second formateur Jan Nagel included the VVD in negotiations but they again failed after Krul discovered BvDH had been in a late stage of secretly forming a parallel coalition that excluded the CDA and the VVD. Krul said he felt betrayed and that those actions further damaged the reputation of Den Helder politics. Krul asked BvDH for the initiative for new coalition negotiations after another party withdrew from the secret coalition. BvDH, however, decided for a fourth time to lead the talks and a coalition agreement between seven parties, including BvDH and the CDA, was signed in late June. Den Helder's turbulent politics drew attention from national media outlets.
As parliamentary leader, Krul successfully proposed the re-establishment of a youth council after ten years to advise the municipality. He also said farms should be allowed to house 50 rather that 30 seasonal workers to alleviate nuisances in residential areas. The municipal executive implemented the increase after a motion by Krul was carried. When for the same reason the executive proposed a €185,000 ($210,000 USD) minimum value for properties that could be rented to temporary workers, Krul suggested it should be raised to €200,000 ($220,000 USD). His amendment passed the council. In May 2018, the Seniorenpartij (Seniors' party) left the governing coalition while its alderman stayed on, switching parties. Krul initially found the latter move unacceptable but later accepted it. He proposed a recalibration of the coalition agreement and called for ideas from opposition parties. In 2021, when the government agency Rijkswaterstaat's severe neglect of the historic Den Helder lighthouse Lange Jaap was discovered, Krul contacted MP Pieter Omtzigt, who had been ejected from the CDA months before. Omtzigt subsequently questioned the minister. Krul introduced a motion urging the municipal executive to consider inclusiveness when granting permits for the arrival of Sinterklaas during the yearly namesake tradition. It was supported by a council majority. The Sinterklaas character's black-faced companion Zwarte Piet (Black Pete) part of the celebration, had been criticized nationally for racism.
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