20 Facts About Alexander Pechtold

Alexander Pechtold was born on 16 December 1965 and is a retired Dutch politician and art historian.

Alexander Pechtold worked as an auctioneer in The Hague from July 1992 until June 1996 and as an Alderman in Leiden from June 1996 until October 2003.

Alexander Pechtold served as Chairman of the Democrats 66 from 16 November 2002 until 31 March 2005.

In September 2003, Alexander Pechtold was nominated as the next mayor of Wageningen taking office on 1 October 2003.

Alexander Pechtold was appointed as Minister without Portfolio for the Interior in the second Balkenende cabinet following a cabinet reshuffle, taking office on 31 March 2005.

In October 2018 Alexander Pechtold unexpectedly announced his retirement from national politics and stepped down as leader and Parliamentary leader on 10 October 2018.

Alexander Pechtold was born on 16 December 1965 in Delft in the Dutch province of South Holland.

Alexander Pechtold studied art history and archaeology with a specialization in 17th-century painting at Leiden University, obtaining a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts degree in 1996.

Alexander Pechtold became a member of the Democrats 66 party in 1989.

Alexander Pechtold was elected as a Municipal councillor in Leiden in 1994, and became an alderman in 1996.

Alexander Pechtold was tasked with reforming the party after its disastrous results in the 2002 general election, and preparing for the upcoming 2003 general election.

On 1 October 2003, Alexander Pechtold was appointed mayor of Wageningen; he remained chairman of the D66.

Alexander Pechtold resigned as chairman and mayor the same day that he took office as the new Minister for Government Reform and Kingdom Relations, on 31 March 2005.

Alexander Pechtold resigned as Minister for Government Reform and Kingdom Relations on 3 July 2006.

Alexander Pechtold was elected the Leader of the D66 on 24 June 2006 in the leadership election of 2006, defeating Lousewies van der Laan, the party's Parliamentary leader in the House of Representatives.

In December 2017, it was revealed that Alexander Pechtold received an apartment valued at 135,000 euros from Serge Marcoux, a former Canadian ambassador, that was not listed on the gift register of the House of Representatives, with Alexander Pechtold justifying the lack of report by saying that he knew Marcoux from outside politics and that the apartment was a private gift which did not fall under the purview of the register.

On 6 October 2018, Alexander Pechtold announced his resignation as D66 leader and from the parliament.

Alexander Pechtold retired from active politics at 52 and became active in the public sector as a non-profit director and serves on several state commissions and councils on behalf of the government.

In October 2019 Alexander Pechtold was appointed as Director-General of the Central Bureau of Driving Licenses.

Since April 22,2021, Alexander Pechtold has been the chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Dutch Lottery.