Rotterdam mayor to leave office after 15 years at the helm

Ahmed Aboutaleb was notable for being the first mayor of a major Dutch city, who had an immigrant background and Muslim faith

The mayor of Rotterdam, Ahmed Aboutaleb, announced that he intends to step down this autumn after serving for 15 years in the highest position in the city. He decided to give the preliminary notification to city councillors so that they would have ample time to choose a new successor in the coming months.

The next local elections cycle in the Netherlands will not come until 2026 but either way, Dutch mayors are appointed by the city councils and not directly elected by voters. Formally, the mayors are invested by the King’s Commissioner.

Mr Aboutaleb will go down in history as being the first mayor of a large city in the Netherlands, who was both of immigrant origin and of Muslim faith. He was born in Morocco and came to the European country with his family in 1976 at the age of 15.

His political career began in earnest in 2004 when he was appointed as an alderman in the Amsterdam city council and even rose to the position of Minister for Social Affairs in the Dutch government in the period 2007-2008. After that, he was appointed Mayor of Rotterdam entering office on 5 January 2009.

Reactions from other Dutch mayors

No specific reason has been cited for Mayor Aboutaleb’s wish to depart early from his position, however, the announcement led to reactions from other mayors of Dutch cities praising his work and legacy.

Mayor Sharon Dijksma of the municipality of Utrecht called Aboutaleb’s retirement as mayor of Rotterdam a “brave choice” and “a great loss for Rotterdam.”

The mayor of Amsterdam, Femke Halsema, announced through her official spokesperson that she’d always enjoyed working with Aboutaleb.

“His mayorship was and is impressive. The city of Rotterdam has been in good hands with him for 15 years,” said her official announcement, quoted by NL Times.

Jan van Zanen, mayor of The Hague, also had warm words to offer by praising his loyalty and professionalism.