GroenLinks-PvdA MP Tom van der Lee has put himself forward as a candidate to succeed Vera Bergkamp as chair of parliament.

The 59-year-old, who was first elected in 2017, chaired the recent parliamentary inquiry into the impact of gas production in Groningen province, where around 85,000 buildings have been damaged by earthquakes since the 1980s.

Van der Lee, who was one of the deputy speakers under Bergkamp, said he wanted to play his part in “restoring trust and bridging the gap between citizens and decision makers”.

The other declared candidate is PVV MP Martin Bosma, also 59, who is Geert Wilders’s preferred option and who previously applied for the post in 2016 and 2021.

Bosma who has also deputised for Bergkamp and her predecessor Khadija Arib, said in his application letter he would keep a “firm hand on the gavel”.

“The political tornado is a long way from being abated,” he wrote in his application letter. “It looks as if we are on the brink of even more turbulence. Politics in The Hague has never been so fluid, with such great uncertainties.”

VVD MP Roelien Kamminga was also touted as a possible candidate for the post, but she ruled herself out on Sunday.

The new chairman will be chosen in a secret ballot of MPs on Thursday, December 14.