Bonne Zijlstra

His Excellency Bonne Zijlstra
Zijlstra in 2020
Co-Deputy Premier of Alsland
Incumbent
Assumed office 13 January 2021 Serving with Vivienne Newman
Prime Minister	Ottila Möller
Preceded by	Jochen Scheffler Jolke Dekker
1st President of the Euclean Community
In office 1 December 2007 – 30 November 2012
Succeeded by	Alexandre Lévesque
Premier of Alsland
In office 26 April 2000 – 15 June 2004
President	Drewes Brandsma
Deputy	Martina Scott Erika Kellner
Preceded by	Adalbrecht Brötzmann
Succeeded by	Martina Scott
Secretary of Foreign Affairs
In office 4 May 1995 – 30 December 1999
Prime Minister	Adalbrecht Brötzmann
Preceded by	Olrik Rijpstra
Succeeded by	Jappichje Nicolai
Leader of the Social Democrats in Delland
Incumbent
Assumed office 21 December 2020
Preceded by	Addik Kuiken
In office 4 May 1994 – 15 June 2004
Preceded by	Seine De Haan
Succeeded by	Sjoerd De Ruiter
Member of Folkssenaat
Incumbent
Assumed office 26 April 2015
Constituency	Middewald
In office 4 May 1988 – 15 June 2004
Constituency	Middewald
Personal details
Born	(1960-01-11) January 11, 1960 Yndyk
Nationality	Alsland
Political party	Social Democrats in Delland
Domestic partner	Sanderke Zijlstra
Children	1
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Bonne Zijlstra (Born January 11, 1960) is an Alslandic politician who served as President of the Euclean Community from 2007 to 2012 and served as Premier of Alsland from 2000 to 2004. Zijlstra was elected as President in 2007 following the Treaty of Maredoux which established the role of the President of the Euclean Community. Zijlstra was the first person to serve as the President of the Euclean Community following the Treaty of Maredoux.

Zijlstra perviously served as Premier of Alsland from 2000 to 2004. He became Premier following the Progressive Alliance's landslide victory in the 2000 General Election. He resigned from his position following a car accident which also killed his son. He also resigned from the Folkssenaat and as leader of the SDyD.

In 2007 Zijlstra was elected as the first President of the Euclean Community following the Treaty of Maredoux. (Insert info on Zijlstra's Presidency).

After stepping back from Euclean politics, Zijlstra later won reelection in 2015 as a member of the Folkssenaat.

Early Life

Zijlstra was born on January 11 1960 in Yndyk to Tsjimke Zijlstra (1921-1998), a Senator from Middewald and Sus Zijlstra (1930-2009). His father was a prominent member of the Conservative Party and served as Secretary of Foreign Affairs, a position Bonne would later serve in, from 1970 to 1975. Zijlstra's parents divorced in 1975 and Bonne's mother was given full custody of him in 1976. Zijlstra enrolled at the University of Wottested in 1978 and graduated with a degree in History and Politics.

Zijlstra joined the Social Democrats in Delland (SDyD) in 1979 and rose through the ranks of the party. He was encouraged to run for Middewald's Provincial Assembly in 1984 and ran unsuccessfully being defeated by the Conservative Candidate. Zijlstra spoke at the SDyD's Annual conference in Rikertsted in 1987 where he gained the attention of the party's leader Ynse Vos.

Early Political Career

Zijlstra was encouraged to run in Middewald for the Folkssenaat in the 1990 General Election and agreed. In 1988 Brocht Bakker, an SDyD member of the Folkssenaat resigned due to health reasons and Zijlstra was chosen to replace him by the Minister-President of Middewald, Retse Jongbloed. Zijlstra's first speech to the Folkssenaat came on 10 May 1988 during a debate on Environmental Conservation. Zijlstra's speech gained praise from most political parties in the country.

In the run up to the 1990 General Election, Zijlstra was a key figure in Middewald and subsequently had media attention during the campaign. The Progressive Alliance won in a landslide and Zijlstra was elected. Zijlstra was considered for Secretary of Education although this suggestion was turned down by Adalbrecht Brötzmann citing Zijlstra's inexperience in the subject.

In 1990 Zijlstra married Sanderke Sikma and they later gave birth to their first son, Tsjakke, later that year. Zijlstra was appointed to the Folkssenaat' committee on Foreign Affairs and later became chair of the committee in 1993.

In 1994 the leader of the SDyD, Dillon Dijkstra, resigned as party leader. In the ensuing Leadership contest Zijlstra, who represented the left wing of the party gained enough support to become the party's leader. Zijlstra promised a wide range of changes and support for the SDyD surged from 1995 to 2000 even overtaking the ruling SdA at the time.

Foreign Secretary of Alsland

Zijlstra was appointed as Foreign Secretary in 1995 following the 1995 General Election when his predecessor Olrik Rijpstra lost re-election. Zijlstra's appointment to the role was largely seen as a move by Adalbrecht Brötzmann to make sure Zijlstra didn't try to replace him.

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Zijlstra resigned in April 1999 following a disagreement with him and Brötzmann over foreign policy issues. Zijlstra criticised Brötzmann following his resignation during a statement to the Folkssenaat drawing off Brötzmann's unpopularity at the time. As a result Brötzmann denounced Zijlstra and the SDyD. In 2003 it was revealed that Brötzmann attempted to oust Zijlstra as party leader following his resignation but was unsuccessful in doing so.

Premier of Alsland

Zijlstra became Premier on 26 April 2000 following the 2000 General Election where he led the SDyD to a landslide victory and the Progressive Alliance formed a majority in the Folkssenaat for the second time in Alslandic History. Zijlstra throughout his tenure as Premier was popular with polls consistently suggesting that the Progressive Alliance and the SDyD would end up as the largest bloc in 2005.

Domestic policy

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Foreign policy

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Resignation

Zijlstra was injured and his son was killed in a car accident preceding his resignation

On 13 June 2004 at 17:53, Zijlstra and his son Tsjakke along with a security officer and a driver were exiting the Folkssenaat building and travelling towards the Kerstplak when a Yndyk Public bus crashed into their car. The car then partially flipped onto it's left side. The bus then crashed into a tree although nobody on the bus was hurt. Zijlstra's right leg was broken and his son was severely injured. The driver of the car and Zijlstra's Security officer were also both injured.

Pedestrians on the Kerstplak were the first to reach the car and help pull Zijlstra from the wreck. Zijlstra's police escort stopped all traffic on the Kerstplak and rumours were spread that the crash was an assassination attempt on Zijlstra. Passengers on the bus were escorted away and questioned by police about 10 minutes after the crash. Zijlstra's son Tsjakke who had been sitting on the right side of the car next to the impact site following the impact was unable to be freed from the damaged car and had to be cut out which took nearly 4 hours. Tsjakke was cut out of the car at 21:37 and was pronounced dead shortly after this.

Zijlstra was taken to Siemen Hartmann memorial Hospital where he was discharged the next day. The head of Yndyk Metropolitan Police confirmed on the next day that the crash was not an attempted assassination. Zijlstra informed Martina Scott and members of the SDyD that he would be resign on the 15th. At 3pm the next day an aide to Zijlstra confirmed that he would be resigning on the 15th to the Press.

Zijlstra officially resigned on the 15th and was succeeded by Martina Scott. Zijlstra and his family returned to their home in Middewald and Tsjakke's funeral was held on the 20th of June.

An investigation into the crash later found that there were serious design flaws with the exit onto the Kerstplak which created a blind spot. The exit was closed and rebuilt in 2005. The investigation also cleared the driver of the bus of any wrongdoing after reviewing security footage of the crash which showed their attempt to swerve to avoid the car.

Zijlstra had fully recovered by December but said he would not be running in the 2005 General Election. Zijlstra following his premiership became more involved in Euclean politics.

President of the Euclean Community

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Return to Alslandic Politics

Senator

In the run up to the 2015 General Election, Zijlstra announced he would be seeking to stand in the election for the SDyD in Middewald, his announcement was met with some scepticism from SDyD members and opposition from moderate figures within the party including Addik Kuiken who would later become the party's leader. Zijlstra was selected as a candidate and won a seat in the Folkssenaat.

Shortly after his election into the Folkssenaat Zijlstra issued an apology to members of the LGBT community for his government's actions regarding conversion therapy and marriage equality, his apology coincided with a Folkssenaat inquiry into homophobia under Aarnd Hellinga's government. The LGBT+ rights group Gjin ferskil called his apology "insincere" and urged him to prove that he had changed his views on the subject. Since his re-election to the Folkssenaat Zijlstra has sponsored several bills to support the LGBT+ community.

In 2017 Zijlstra along with SDyD environment spokesperson Dieuwke Dykstra had green paint thrown over them whilst meeting in a cafe in Yndyk by a group of student climate activists. Zijlstra in a statement after the incident called the protesters: "a group of rebellious teens with no goal other than chaos." Zijlstra refused to apologise after Green-Socialist leader Bene Feitsma accused him of disregarding Alsland's climate crisis.