Marianne Thieme facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Marianne Thieme
Leader of the Party for the Animals
In office 28 October 2002 – 9 October 2019
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Esther Ouwehand
Leader of the Party for the Animals in the House of Representatives
In office 30 November 2006 – 9 October 2019
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Esther Ouwehand
Member of the House of Representatives
In office 30 November 2006 – 9 October 2019
Chairwoman of the Party for the Animals
In office 28 October 2002 – 28 November 2010
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Luuk Folkerts
Personal details
Born	Marianne Louise Thieme (1972-03-06) 6 March 1972 (age 53) Ede, Netherlands
Political party	Party for the Animals
Residences	Maarssen, Netherlands
Alma mater	Erasmus University Rotterdam (LLM in administrative law), University of Wales Trinity Saint David (MA in theology).
Occupation	Politician, animal rights activist, author
Website	Worldlog

Marianne Louise Thieme (born 6 March 1972) is a Dutch politician, writer, and animal rights activist. She studied law and theology. From 2002 to 2019, she was the political leader of the Party for the Animals. She was also a member of the House of Representatives from 2006 to 2019.

Marianne Thieme's Early Life and Education

Marianne Thieme went to Duno College in Doorwerth. After that, she studied in Paris, France, at the Sorbonne from 1991 to 1992.

Studying Law and Animal Rights

In 1992, she began studying law at Erasmus University Rotterdam. She focused on administrative law. During this time, she became a vegetarian. Her strong interest in animal rights made her want to study law. She finished her law degree in 1997.

Working for Animal Welfare

From 1998 to 2001, Thieme worked at a research company called B&A Group. Later, from 2001 to 2004, she was a policy officer for Bont voor Dieren. This was a Dutch foundation that worked against fur clothing. Until November 2006, she was the general manager of Stichting Wakker Dier. This is another Dutch animal welfare foundation that fights against industrial agriculture.

Marianne Thieme's Political Journey

In October 2002, Marianne Thieme and other people who cared about animals started the Party for the Animals (Partij voor de Dieren, PvdD). This party focuses on animal rights.

First Elections and Growth

In the 2003 Dutch general election, the party received 47,754 votes. This was 0.5% of all votes. It was not enough to win a seat in the House of Representatives. To get a seat, a party needed 0.67% of the votes.

In February 2004, Thieme was chosen to be the party's main candidate for the 2004 European Parliament election. This time, the party got 153,432 votes, which was 3.2%. This was three times more votes than in 2003. However, it was still not enough to win a seat in the European Parliament.

Winning Seats in Parliament

During the 2006 Dutch general election, the Party for Animals received 179,988 votes (1.8%). This was enough for them to win two seats in the lower house of the Dutch Parliament. This made them the first party in the world to win seats in parliament with a main focus on animal rights. Marianne Thieme became a Member of Parliament (MP) along with Esther Ouwehand.

In the 2010 Dutch general election, the party got 122,317 votes (1.3%). Both Thieme and Ouwehand were reelected as MPs. Two years later, in the 2012 Dutch general election, the party won two seats again with 182,162 votes (1.9%).

Continued Success and Resignation

The party ran in the 2017 Dutch general election with Thieme as their main candidate for the fifth time. They received 335,214 votes (3.2%). This allowed them to win five seats in parliament.

Marianne Thieme often ended her speeches in Parliament with a special phrase. She would say, "Voorts zijn wij van mening dat er een einde moet komen aan de bio-industrie." This means, "Furthermore, we believe that factory farming must end." This was a reference to an old Roman speaker who always ended his speeches with a similar strong statement.

On 8 October 2019, Marianne Thieme decided to leave Parliament. She also stepped down as the leader of the Party for the Animals. Esther Ouwehand took over as the party leader in the House of Representatives. Eva van Esch took Thieme's seat in Parliament.

Marianne Thieme's Personal Life

In 2006, Marianne Thieme became a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. She said it was "a church with compassion and care for our planet."

She has a daughter named Annika, who was born in 2002. She lives in Maarssen. In 2008, she married Jaap Korteweg, who was an organic farmer. They had a second daughter named Amélie in 2012. They divorced in 2017. In 2021, she married Ewald Engelen. They had been in a relationship since 2018.

See also