On Tuesday, September 17, 2019, Budget Day, the Netherlands will have a ‘designated survivor’ for the first time. Designated survivor literally means: designated survivor. The concept comes from the United States, where ‘designated survivors’ have been around for some time. It is a minister who is at a secret location on high days when all ministers are present at the same time at a certain event, such as a coronation or Budget Day, so that he or she is left to observe the government in the event of an attack on the entire government. The concept came from the United States, where the tradition probably started in the 1960s. From 1984 onwards, after the State of the Union (comparable to the Dutch Budget Day), it was announced which member of the cabinet had been designated to stay at home.
The ‘designated survivor’ in the United States
The United States has been using a designated survivor for a number of decades to replace the president if he and his successors die at the same time or shortly after each other.
What if the president dies?
The ‘Presidential Succession Act’ of 1947 established in the United States what should happen if the president were to die. When the president dies, the vice president would be the first to take over the president’s duties. Then, in the absence of the Deputy Prime Minister, the Speaker of the House of Representatives would have been appointed for this purpose, followed by the Secretary of State, the ministers, and so on.
The White House in Washington / Source: Angelvela, Unsplash
The Cold War and the threat of nuclear attack
During the Cold War there was a nuclear threat from the Eastern Bloc in Europe and especially the Soviet Union. A nuclear attack could kill everyone in the line of succession for the presidency at once. That may sound a bit far-fetched now, but the American government at the time did see this danger as realistic. Numerous measures were taken to be prepared for such a disaster. One of these was that of appointing a designated survivor.
State of The Union, the American Budget Day
Every year there is a State of The Union in the United States, an event comparable to the Dutch Budget Day. All top figures from the government and parliament meet on that day in the same place to hear the president’s speech about the policy for the coming year. These people are also together at presidential inaugurations. If an attack takes place at that time and in that place, there may be no one left to govern the country. To prevent this, a member of the government is hidden in a secret place so that there is someone left who can legally govern the country in the event of such a catastrophe.
The first ‘designated survivor’ in the United States
In the United States, this survivor must be at least 35 years old and born in the United States. Due to the secretive nature of the designated survivor, it is not entirely clear when it was first designated, but it is suspected that this was in the 1960s. Since 1984, it has been announced after the State of The Union who the designated survivor was, but not where they were hiding. Every year there is a lot of speculation about the identity of the designated survivor.
TV series on Netflix
Netflix has a popular TV series titled Designated Survivor (2015). This series is about Thomas Kirkman. After an assassination attempt on the president and the entire US government, he takes charge of the country. The series is well viewed both in the US and internationally. The popularity of this series may have contributed to the fact that the discussion about the designated survivor has also flared up in the Netherlands.
Emergency law in the Netherlands for the death of the prime minister and the entire government
What happens in the Netherlands if the prime minister dies, along with all his cabinet colleagues and anyone who could take over the government of the Netherlands? First of all, the so-called ‘state emergency law’ comes into effect. This regulates when a state of emergency can be declared and who has or will be given which powers in exceptional situations such as natural disasters, terrorist attacks, uprisings and the like. In the event of an attack during Budget Day, for example, in which many or all government officials are killed, it has been arranged that the remaining representatives of the Ministry of Defense and the officials of the National Coordinator for Counterterrorism and Security (NCTV) will meet in a crisis meeting. They will then take the measures necessary to prevent the country from falling into chaos.
Democratic legitimacy ‘designated survivor’
If the state emergency law comes into effect and representatives of the Ministry of Defense and officials of the National Coordinator for Counterterrorism and Security (NCTV) are the designated persons to take over in the event of an attack on the entire government and parliament, the question of its democratic legitimacy may arise. After all, these people were not chosen. They are civil servants who lack the democratic legitimacy to represent the people of the country. For that reason, it might be more desirable to have a designated survivor in the person of a minister or a member of parliament who does have such democratic legitimacy.
Is a ‘designated survivor’ necessary in the Netherlands?
In the Netherlands, the prime minister is not the head of state. The King is the head of state. In the event of an attack during Budget Day, an heir to the throne always remains alive. After all, it never happens that all heirs to the throne, and there are quite a few, are present in the Ridderzaal during Budget Day. This concerns a survivor who is not designated, but who happens to be in that position because he or she happens to be the first heir to the throne who is still alive. This heir apparent could ascend the throne and form a new government if the entire government and the King died. According to some, this could make the designation of a designated survivor for the Netherlands redundant. The idea for a Dutch designated survivor was suggested in 2018 by D66 MP Joost Sneller, who suggested that in the event of a terrorist attack the entire government could be wiped out in one fell swoop and that measures should be taken to prevent chaos. prevention might prove to be necessary.
Prinsjesdag / Source: RNW.org , Flickr (CC BY-ND-2.0 )
First ‘designated survivor’ during Budget Day 2019
Although the remaining heir to the throne can form a new cabinet in the event of an attack on the entire government, the Dutch cabinet has appointed a designated survivor for Budget Day 2019 for the first time in history. This person is hiding in an unknown place on Budget Day. So there is no place for him or her in the Ridderzaal. Naturally, the identity and location of this absent minister are kept secret, but frequent speculation in the event of the designation of a designated survivor is always to be expected. The Government Information Service has released for 2019 that the designated survivor will have the position of minister for this Budget Day.