VVD MP Roelien Kamminga has been named as the new mayor of Groningen, replacing Koen Schuiling, who took early retirement after being charged with exposing himself in his car.

Kamminga, 46, has been an MP for the right-wing Liberal party since 2021, having previously worked as a civil servant.

She grew up in Zuidbroek, a village just outside the northern city, and returned there around the time she stood for parliament.

“I’m very pleased and honoured to have been appointed,” Kamminga said. “It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity, especially for someone who was born and raised in the province of Groningen.”

Her predecessor, Schuling, stood down last September, a year before he was due to retire, claiming he no longer had the energy for the job.

The 66-year-old spent his term dealing with high-pressure issues such as the coronavirus pandemic and supervising compensation for homeowners whose houses were damaged by gas drilling.

But it soon emerged that the mayor had been put under pressure to resign by home affairs minister Judith Uitermark after he was fined for masturbating in his car beside the A7 motorway last March.

Schuiling contested the fine, but the decision was upheld by a judge in Zwolle two weeks ago. The former mayor has lodged an appeal against the verdict.