THE HAGUE, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Dutch politician Sybrand Buma announced on Thursday his decision to quit as Christian Democrats (CDA) leader to become mayor of the Frisian city Leeuwarden in the north of the Netherlands.
"I am very honored by the nomination to be the mayor of Leeuwarden," Buma stated. "As a born and raised Frisian, I feel at home there. I am fully committed to all residents."
Buma, 53 years old, succeeds Labor (PvdA) member Ferd Crone, who leaves for the Senate in The Hague.
Buma has been a member of the national House of Representatives in The Hague for the CDA since 2002, and has served as party leader since 2012. The CDA, part of the current government coalition with the rightist liberals VVD, leftist liberals D66 and the small Christian party ChristenUnie, will now have to look for a new party leader.
Looking at his family history, the move to become a mayor in the province of Friesland is no surprise. Sybrand van Haersma Buma, which is his full name, is the son of Bernard van Haersma Buma, who was the mayor of Workum and of Sneek. His grandfather was the mayor of Stavoren.
