Government of Rotterdam


The Government of Rotterdam is the government of the municipality and city of Rotterdam in the Netherlands. Most of the inhabitants live in the city of Rotterdam, but the municipality also covers a number of small villages, and other parts of the local government, such as Rozenburg, cover an even larger area.

City council

Results of the elections of 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, and 2022:
¹ In 2022 only CU.

City executive

City executive 2002 - 2006

of Leefbaar Rotterdam won the elections on 6 March 2002 with 17 seats and formed a new coalition with the CDA and VVD that unseated the PvdA which had ruled Rotterdam for decades. Only three months to the day later he was assassinated.

City executive 2006 - 2010

The coalition mayor and aldermen for the period 2006-2010 was formed by a coalition of the parties PvdA, CDA, VVD and GroenLinks. The college was sworn in on May 18, 2006.
The college since its inauguration in 2006 had a number of cycles. VVD alderman Roelf de Boer retreated from his position in 2007. In 2008, GreenLeft alderman Orhan Kaya was replaced by Rik Grashoff. In April 2009 VVD left the coalition, though it retained a slim majority of 23 of the 45 seats. The two VVD aldermen Jeannette Baljeu and Mark Harbers were replaced by CDA and PvdA aldermen. This left the CDA with three council seats and three aldermen, a remarkable situation. In July 2009 CDA alderman Leonard Geluk joined the coalition but he stepped down prematurely, because of his new position as chairman of ROC Netherlands.

City executive 2010 - 2014

The city board of mayor and aldermen was formed by four parties: PvdA, VVD, D66, and CDA.
Aldermen were: Jeannette Baljeu, Hugo de Jonge, Hamit Karakus, Jantine Kriens, Antoinette Laan and Korrie Louwes.

City executive 2014 - 2018

The city board of mayor and aldermen was formed by three parties: Leefbaar Rotterdam, D66, and CDA.
Aldermen were: Joost Eerdmans, Hugo de Jonge, Pex Langenberg, Ronald Schneider, Maarten Struijvenberg and Adriaan Visser.

City executive 2018 - 2022

The city board of mayor and aldermen was formed by seven parties: VVD, D66, GL, PvdA, CDA, and CU-SGP.
Aldermen were:
  1. Judith Bokhove
  2. Arno Bonte
  3. Christine Eskes - replacement of Sven de Langen
  4. Arjan van Gils
  5. Michiel Grauss
  6. Vincent Karremans - replacement of Bert Wijbenga
  7. Said Kasmi
  8. Bas Kurvers
  9. Richard Moti
  10. Roos Vermeij - replacement of Barbara Kathmann

    City executive 2022 - 2026

In 2022, Leefbaar Rotterdam have again won the elections and have formed a coalition with VVD, D66 and DENK.

Mayors

The mayor is part of the city executive and chairs the city council. Current mayor is Carola Schouten.
Mayors since World War II:
Until 19 March 2014, Rotterdam's fourteen boroughs had the formal status of submunicipalities under the Dutch Municipalities Act. The submunicipalities were responsible for many activities that previously had been run by the central city. The idea was to bring the government closer to the people. All submunicipalities had their own deelgemeenteraad, direct elected by the borough's inhabitants. The district councils enjoyed far-reaching autonomous decisionmaking powers in many policy areas. Only affairs pertaining the whole city such as major infrastructural projects remained within the jurisdiction of by the central municipal council.
In 2014, the submunicipalities were abolished by law, but Rotterdam maintained its boroughs. The district councils were replaced with smaller, but still directly elected gebiedscommissies. The area committees no longer have autonomous powers, but instead act primarily as advisory and participatory bodies for the central municipal council.
The fourteen boroughs of Rotterdam are:
The port areas are governed directly by the central municipality.

Annexations and reclassifications

The city of Rotterdam was especially strong growth since 1850. Initially they tried to accommodate the population within existing municipal boundaries, but this soon proved inadequate. Therefore, sequentially neighboring municipalities annexed or she had to cede territory to Rotterdam. An overview of these annexations and reclassifications:
  • 1816 municipality Cool annexed.
  • 1870 won territory of the municipalities Charlois, IJsselmonde and Katendrecht* serving ports and urban expansion on the current Kop van Zuid.
  • 1886: annexation of the town Delfshaven
  • 1895: annexation of municipalities Charlois and Kralingen, also won territory of the municipalities IJsselmonde and Overschie
  • 1903 won territory of the municipality Overschie
  • 1904 won territory of the municipality Hillegersberg
  • 1909 won territory of the municipality of Schiedam
  • 1914 won territory of the municipalities 's-Gravenzande, Naaldwijk and Rozenburg
  • 1926 won territory of the municipality of Schiedam
  • 1934: annexation of municipalities Hoogvliet and Pernis**, also won territory of the municipalities Poortugaal, Rhoon and Schiedam
  • 1939 won territory of the municipalities 's-Gravenzande and Naaldwijk
  • 1940 won territory of the municipalities Schiedam and Overschie
  • 1941: annexation of municipalities Hillegersberg, IJsselmonde, Overschie and Schiebroek, also territories from the municipalities of Barendrecht, Berkel en Rodenrijs, Capelle aan den IJssel, Kethel en Spaland, Rozenburg, Schiedam and Vlaardingen
  • 1953 won and lost territory to the municipality of Schiedam
  • 1966 won territory of the municipalities of Geervliet, Heenvliet, Rozenburg, Spijkenisse and Zwartewaal serving the Europoort
  • 1972 won and lost territory to the municipality Oostvoorne and won territory of the State serving the Maasvlakte
  • 1976 won and lost territory to the municipality Rhoon
  • 1978 won and lost territory to the municipality Capelle aan den IJssel and territory from the municipality of Zevenhuizen
  • 1980 won territory of the municipalities of Brielle, Rozenburg and Oostvoorne
  • 1985 won territory of the municipalities and Poortugaal, Rozenburg and lost to the municipality Albrandswaard
  • 1995 won territory of the municipalities of Nieuwerkerk aan den IJssel and Zevenhuizen-Moerkapelle serving the Vinex Nesselande district, also lost territory to Ridderkerk
  • 1997 won territory of the municipality of Capelle aan den IJssel
  • 2001 won and lost territory to the municipality Capelle aan den IJssel
  • 2010: annexation of the town Rozenburg.
* The municipality Katendrecht in 1873 annexed by the municipality Charlois
** The city annexed Pernis in 1834 the town 's-Gravenambacht

International relations

Rotterdam has the following city and port connections throughout the world:
  • 14 Sister Cities
  • 13 Partner Cities
  • 4 Sister Ports

    Twin towns – sister cities

Rotterdam is twinned with: