A former rector of this university, Job Cohen (62), could well be the next prime minister of the Netherlands if his Labour Party does well in the upcoming parliamentary elections. Cohen came to Maastricht in 1981 to set up the Faculty of Law and became rector in 1991. Two years later, he made his way to The Hague to become State Secretary of Education as a temporary replacement, only to return to his rectorship afterwards. He left Maastricht permanently in 1998, this time to become State Secretary of Justice. In 2001, he was appointed Mayor of Amsterdam, a position he resigned from last weekend after Labour Party leader, Wouter Bos, asked him to take over. Cohen is known as an amiable and sharp-witted man, with a relaxed leadership style. Right-wing politicians accuse him of being indecisive and having a weak attitude when it comes to problems concerning the integration of foreigners, while his supporters, on the other hand, praise his composure and well-considered judgement, and his tendency not to stir up contrasts but to mitigate them.
Wammes Bos