Liekele Ykema

Liekele Ykema
Ykema in 2020
Premier of Alsland
Incumbent
Assumed office 12 October 2022
President	Hepke Veltman
Deputy	Kairi Sokk Elsert Wassenaar Hilda Schaaf Ottila Möller
Preceded by	Vaiko Kotka (acting) Ottila Möller
In office 9 November 2010 – 27 December 2018
President	Rita Rebane
Deputy	Aarnd Hellinga Rita Kallas
Preceded by	Jabik Nieuwenhuis
Succeeded by	Hepke Veltman
Member of the Euclean Parliament
In office 13 July 2019 – 12 October 2022
Constituency	Alsland
Minister-President of Yndyk
In office 16 May 2005 – 30 October 2011
Preceded by	Hatte Elsinga
Succeeded by	Hepke Veltman
Personal details
Born	(1967-10-13) October 13, 1967 Yndyk, Alsland
Nationality	Alslandic
Political party	Alslandic: Liveable Alsland EC: Forward Euclea
Residence	Yndyk
Education	University of Morwall

Liekele Ykema (born 13 October 1967) is an Alslandic politician and former economist serving as a Premier of Alsland since 12 October 2022 and before this between 9 November 2010 to 27 December 2018. Before this he was also a member of the Euclean Parliament from 2019 until 2022 and Minister-President of Yndyk between 16 May 2005 and 13 October 2011.

Ykema entered politics in 2002 when he served as an economic advisor to Hatte Elsinga who was then Minister-President of Yndyk. In 2005 Ykema was elected in a landslide to succeed Elsinga. Ykema formed a coalition between Liveable Yndyk and the National Bloc. Later on in his premiership he formed a coalition with moderate independent social democrats who resigned from the Workers' Party in protest of the party shifting towards an economically leftist platform. Prior to the 2010 election Ykema transformed Liveable Yndyk into a federal party and announced it would run candidates for the election. In the 2010 election the party won 42 seats and Ykema formed a coalition with the National Bloc as well as the Progressive Alliance and Green - Alternative Choice.

In the 2018 legislative election despite winning another record number of seats and votes and emerging as the largest party in Alsland, National Bloc refused to enter another coalition led by Ykema. Ykema resigned despite having a high approval rating and was succeeded by Hepke Veltman. Ykema was elected to the Euclean Parliament in 2019. In 2022 he announced he would be running for the Euclean Community's Presidency in 2022. After the 2022 Alslandic legislative election, Ykema formed a third cabinet comprised of liberals and right-wing nationalists.

Early Life

• Childhood and Education
• Career before politics
• Liveable Delland executive board

Minister-President of Yndyk

• Grand Coalition with the National Bloc
• Opposition to Nieuwenhuis
• 2010 Yndyk election

"Herstart Yndyk" policy

• Economic liberalism
• Protests
• Growing economy

Premier of Alsland

First term

• Election
• Government formation
• Local elections
• Policies
• Response to the Nordleda shooting

Second term

• Second campaign
• Government formation
• Bad LA performance in 2016 presidential election
• Cabinet reshuffle
• 2018 election and National Bloc problems
• Resignation

Third term

• Third cabinet
• Economic crisis

MEP

• Election in 2019
• Activities in EucloParl

Euclean Presidency bid

• Announcement

Political positions

Ykema is a self proclaimed "Free-thinker" (Dellish: Frijtinker). During an interview ahead of the 2010 Yndyk election he described himself as a classical liberal and during his leadership of Liveable Delland the party shifted towards right-liberalism. In 2011 Hjoed journalist Lennart Mummert described Ykema as a: "centre-right technocrat who wants to maintain the previous government's policy of austerity until the economy has recovered". Ahead of the 2014 legislative election The Standard journalist Peter Stevens called Ykema a moderate conservative and compared him to Estmerish Prime Minister Heidi Reid. Liveable Alsland's 2018 manifesto pledged a return to ordoliberal policies to encourage economic growth, according to experts the shift was triggered as a result of a slow economic recovery from the 2005 World financial crisis and the Alslandic banking crisis. Ykema during the campaign embraced the new manifesto and pledged to implement the manifesto's economic policies by 2020. After his resignation Ykema continued to support the 2018 manifesto whilst others in the party argued for a continuation of the party's current economic policy.

During his Premiership his government was described as a liberal environmentalist government. In 2014 Ykema committed to keeping Alsland's 2 nuclear power plants open until at least 2040 when renewables could take over, the announcement was opposed by environmentalists within his cabinet who wanted the government to close the plants before 2040. As a result of the impasse the government created a non-partisan board of experts to analyse the problem and the board later agreed with Ykema and the government in keeping the plants open.

Throughout his career Ykema has been described as a populist and his party's victory in 2010 was celebrated as an example of a grassroots localist movement being capable of winning national elections. Liveable Alsland adopted policies resembling traditional populism as well as localist policies which contributed to it's rapid growth. The party has also been criticised as being merely a political vehicle built around Ykema's own ideology.

Personal life

• Religion
• Relationship
• Other activities