Floris Hutters

Dpy Floris Hutters
Hutters in 2023
32nd Leader of the Liberal Union
Incumbent
Assumed office date
Preceded by	name
1st leader of Horizonnen
Incumbent
Assumed office date
Preceded by	Office established
Member of Parliament for Centraal Renneboom
In office date –
Shadow ministerial positions Shadow Deputy Prime Minister of XXX In office DATE – DATE
Personal details
Political party	Horizonnen
Spouse	Annelijn van Aalzum
Alma mater	Universiteit van Bolsrade (BS) Bolsrade Business School (MBA)
Occupation	Politician businessman
Website	florishutters.fi

Floris Hutters (born 1967) is a Furbish businessman and politician who served as the founder and leader of the Horizonnen since 2012, leader of the Liberal Union since 2019, and a member of the National Assembly since 2012, as well as the CEO and majority shareholder of Roozenstraat Investments until 2012.

Hutters was born to a family of farmers in Leuven, rural Centraal Renneboom, near Bolsrade. He graduated from the University of Bolsrade in 1989, then held several jobs in the next four years until earning his MBA in 1993. That year he was offered a senior management position at EasyTrains, The Furbish Islands’ first privately owned low-cost high-speed rail operator, which was then a startup. The company grew quickly, and in 1995 launched the XXX brand, dedicated to connecting smaller towns and cities to vacation destinations, with Hutters as its president. In 1997 Hutters became the CEO of EasyTrains. Hutters slowly bought out other shareholders until becoming the majority shareholder in 1999. He then reorganized it into a subsidiary of the newly founded Roozenstraat Investments. Over the next decade Roozenstraat Investments acquired numerous companies, most notably Otman in 2002 and SBB in 2005.

In 2012, Hutters suddenly announced his intention of running for a seat in the National Assembly. He formed the Horizonnen, which was admitted to the Liberal Union. Already popular as a minor celebrity, Hutters was elected to the National Assembly along with several other Horizonnen candidates that year. Hutters was elected as leader of the Liberal Union in 2019 during the 2018-2020 government crisis. Hutters has served in several shadow government positions, first as shadow minister of XXX from 2015 to 2018. In 2019 he became Deputy Prime Minister of Economic Affairs under Richard Melberg's short-lived government, then held that position in Arthur Trudeau's caretaker government up to early-2021. After a surprise victory of the Liberal Union at the 2023 National Assembly election and a contentious government formation process, Hutters formed a government with several parties including the Christian Democratic Union and New Ideas, the latter being formed from deputies who left or were expelled from the right-wing populist Alternative for The Furbish Islands.

Hutters has been famous for his semi-populist campaign style, painting himself as an alternative to more established parties, but not radical enough as to alienate the Liberal Union’s traditional base or from the other parties. He is especially notable for his use of social media. Though rifts exist between him and establishment Liberal Union members, Hutters is credited for increasing the Liberal Union’s popularity and bringing it into the modern era.

Political views

Economic views

Cryptocurrency

Cryptocurrencies likely first came to Hutters’ attention when the value of bitcoin rose dramatically in 2013. In a meeting of Roozenstraat Investments executives, cryptocurrency was brought up, to which Hutters reportedly replied “If any of you seriously suggest investing in that I will dropkick you to fucking Fort Phillip Picket.”.

Since entering politics, Hutters has been opposed to any official recognition of cryptocurrency, though he also opposes banning its use, saying “If people want to be stupid with their money, it’s not the government’s place to stop them.”