Pieter Omtzigt

Pieter Herman Omtzigt (born 8 January 1974 in The Hague) is a Dutch independent politician and a former member of the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA).
Since June 2003, he has almost continuously been a member of the House of Representatives.
Omtzigt is a driven and very critical MP, well known for his efforts on behalf of the childcare benefits scandal (together with Socialist Party politician Renske Leijten).
In July 2020, he lost the struggle against Hugo de Jonge for party leadership and list puller for the 2021 Dutch general election.
Not satisfied with his experiences in the CDA party he decided to leave the party and has become an independent politician on 12 June 2021. Because he had been on leave due to fatigue since 26 May 2021, this has been in effect after his return on 15 September 2021.
Pieter Omtzigt is a PhD economist, who studied at the University of Exeter. He is a Roman Catholic and married to Ayfer Koç, the CDA group leader in the municipal council of Enschede, who belongs to the Syriac Orthodox Church and fled from Turkey. The couple has four daughters and live in Enschede.