Sjearp Groeneveld

Sjearp Groeneveld
Groeneveld in 2021
Leader of Green - Alternative Choice
Incumbent
Assumed office 11 December 2021 Serving with Roza Tigchelaar
Preceded by	Aadu Kotka
Secretary of the Environment
In office 28 September 2017 – 25 July 2022
Premier	Liekele Ykema Hepke Veltman Ottila Möller
Preceded by	Björn Auer
Succeeded by	Sjitske Nauta
Member of the Folkssenaat
Incumbent
Assumed office 28 September 2014
Constituency	Wottested
Personal details
Born	(1987-11-02) 2 November 1987 s'Holle, Hennehouwe
Nationality	Alslandic • Hennish
Political party	Green - Alternative Choice
Spouse	Anna Groeneveld (m. 2021)
Residence(s)	Wottested, Alsland
Alma mater	University of Wottested
Occupation	Politician · Solicitor
Website	Secretary of the Environment

Sjearp Rik Groeneveld (born 2 November 1987) is an Alslandic politician serving as the leader of the Green - Alternative Choice since 2021 alongside Roza Tigchelaar and as a member of the Folkssenaat for Wottested since 2014.

Early life

Groeneveld was born in s'Holle, Hennehouwe in 1987. He was the only child of Marije Deterink-Groeneveld (1969) and Hinric Groeneveld (1952-1989), Marije Deterink-Groeneveld is of Hennish-Dellish whilst Hinric Groeneveld was of Weranian-Aldmanic descent and had migrated to s'Holle two years prior to Groeneveld's birth. Shortly before Sjearp's birth, Hinric left Marije before emigrating to Gaullica in 1988. For several years during Sjearp's early upbringing, he and Marije lived in a one-bedroom apartment in s'Holle before the pair moved to Wottested to live with Marije's family in Alsland. After returning to Wottested, he lived with his maternal grandparents for much of the rest of his childhood although remained close to his mother who returned to University to study engineering in 2002. Groeneveld spent his teenage years in relative poverty and was dependent on regular welfare payments. He graduated from high school in 2003 before spending a year as a volunteer Estmerish teacher with the charity NyTakomsten in Zhongan Province in Shangea. The following year he enrolled in the University of Wottested and graduated with a degree on politics and sociology in 2007. After graduating he was briefly unemployed before gaining employment as a Solicitor. He became a prominent leader within the Jonge Groenen which he had been a member of since 2003. In 2012 he was labelled as Hjoed's no. 6 future stars to watch for his work in the party's youth group.

Political career

Initial beginnings

Groeneveld joined the Green - Alternative Choice party in 2003 and became a local leader of the Jonge Groenen chapter in Zwingenwerder in the same year. He retained his membership of the party whilst volunteering in Shangea and helped co-found the student movement Aksje, at the University of Wottested to pressure the University into cutting down on its carbon emissions. In 2008 he became a member of the Young Greens' presidency, defeating the then incumbent. He was supportive of the party's coalition with the Alslandic Section of the Workers' International (ASAY) and the Social Democratic Workers' Party (SDAP) and spoke at ASAY's annual conference in 2009 to support ties between the Young Greens and Democratic Young Pioneers of Alsland. In 2011 he supported a motion within the Young Greens presidency to criticise the national party's decision to support the Premiership of Liekele Ykema.

After the defection of many Green Party officials to the newly founded Progressive Alliance, Groeneveld was promoted to the party's regional co-leader in Wottested in 2013 where he coordinated the party's campaign for the 2013 municipal election in the city. He supported Aadu Kotka during the 2013 Green Party leadership election, Kotka eventually won the party's leadership contest and Groenevel was seen as a close ally of Kotka during his leadership.

Member of the Folkssenaat

Groeneveld became the party's list leader in Wottested ahead of the 2014 legislative election where he was successful in winning a seat. During the subsequent coalition negotiations he supported the Liveable Alsland led coalition. He served on the Folkssenaat Committee on the Environment and chaired the parliamentary council on Werania and led a parliamentary delegation to promote ties with Werania in 2016. As well as this he co-chaired the Folkssenaat's committee on LGBTQ+ rights and spoke at Yndyk Pride in 2015 and 2016. Following the Nordleda mass shooting Groeneveld was one of several Senators who co-sponsored a cross-party bill to introduce a more rigorous system to purchase firearms.

In August 2017 he supported then environment minister Björn Auer after he received backlash from factions of the Green party for approving the export of genetically modified rice as part of a foreign aid package to countries struggling with food supply. Groeneveld had rice thrown at him shortly after his defence of Auer whilst at a park near the Folkssenaat. The incident sparked calls for better security of politicians amongst the media citing the security risks around unprotected legislators. Groeneveld declined to press charges following the incident and displayed the figurine of a rice mascot to promote the CN Food Development Project on his desk afterwards.

Secretary of the Environment

Environment Minister Groeneveld (centre) with local business leaders in Yndyk

After the death of Björn Auer at the Green Party's annual conference in 2017, Groeneveld was selected as the new environment minister under Liekele Ykema. Groeneveld's appointment was welcomed by agricultural groups who felt he was more sympathetic to them compared to Auer and others within the Green Party. At the time of his appointment he was the youngest ever appointed cabinet minister in Alsland at 30. Groeneveld was seen as a close personal friend to Liekele Ykema which was described as a 'bromance' within the media at the time.

Following the 2018 election where the Green Party doubled its seats and vote share, Groeneveld was selected to lead the party's negotiating team. Initially Groeneveld supported another term for Liekele Ykema in which the Green Party would gain another seat in cabinet, although he alongside Ottila Möller, Hilda Schaaf and Hepke Veltman held a joint press conference stating their support for Veltman as Premier during the negotiations which forced Ykema to step down. As part of the new coalition agreement the Greens would gain another seat in Cabinet (the Ministry of Culture, Media, Technology and Sports) and the government would support stronger regulations regarding carbon emissions.

Groeneveld resigned as Environment minister on 25 July 2022 during the SYFA spying scandal during which he was harshly criticised by his own party for failing to resign earlier and bringing the party into perceived disrepute.

Personal life

Groeneveld married Anna Wahl in 2021 and the couple have one child together. Groeneveld and Wahl live in Wottested. Groeneveld is a fluent speaker of 4 languages; Hennish which is his first language, Dellish, Martish and Gaullican. He claims to have a basic understanding of Weranian and Putonghua.