ROTTERDAM, 1 April 2026 – Rotterdam’s new city council has officially been installed for the 2026 to 2030 term, with 45 councillors sworn in by mayor Carola Schouten. The ceremony marks the formal start of a new political period for the city after the municipal election held on 18 March.
The new council brings together representatives from a broad spread of parties, with GroenLinks-PvdA and Leefbaar Rotterdam emerging as the two largest groups, each holding 11 seats. D66 and VVD follow with five seats each, while DENK takes four.
That leaves the remaining seats divided among Forum for Democracy, CDA, Party for the Animals, Volt, 50PLUS, SP, ChristenUnie and BIJ1. Taken together, the new council reflects a politically fragmented Rotterdam, with both larger blocs and smaller parties shaping the debate over the next four years.
Key roles decided on day one
Alongside the swearing-in, the council also appointed four deputy chairs who will step in when mayor Carola Schouten is absent. Those roles go to Vanessa Bruin, Astrid Kockelkoren, Joan Nunnely and Serkan Soytekin.
Ronald Buijt was appointed as the council’s nestor, the title traditionally given to the longest-serving or most senior member in this context. Ellen Verouden of the CDA was also sworn in as a committee member (burgercommissielid).
Committees begin to take shape
The council also set up the main committees for the 2026 to 2030 term. These are Safety, Governance and Finance, chaired by Tim de Haan; Education and Society, chaired by Joey de Waard; Building and Housing, chaired by Mina Morkoç; and Environment and Economy, chaired by Amy de Bruijn.
The chair for the Care and Culture committee has not yet been announced. Two subcommittees have also been established: one focused on the Environment and Planning Act (Omgevingswet 2026), and another on public education governance through BOOR.
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Financial oversight and employer roles
Several councillors were also appointed to the Committee for Examining the Accounts (Commissie tot Onderzoek van de Rekening, COR), which will be chaired by Marvin Biljoen. The first COR meeting is scheduled for 7 April and can be followed live through the council information system.
The employer committee has also been formed, with Astrid Kockelkoren as chair, joined by Marike Abrahamse, Geert Koster, Agnes Maassen and Serkan Soytekin. With those appointments now in place, Rotterdam’s new council term has moved quickly from election result to working structure.
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