Hans Wiegel (born July 16, 1941) is a retired Dutch politician of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD). He became a Member of the House of Representatives on April 18, 1967, when the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy Leader and Parliamentary leader in the House of Representatives Molly Geertsema became Minister of the Interior and Deputy Prime Minister in the Cabinet Biesheuvel I, Wiegel was chosen to succeed him in both positions, he became youngest Leader ever at the age of twenty-nine on July 7, 1971 and became the Parliamentary leader on July 20, 1971. For the Dutch general election of 1972 Wiegel was the lijsttrekker (top candidate) and won six seats in the House of Representatives. Wiegel served as opposition leader against then Prime Minister Joop den Uyl and his cabinet. After the Dutch general election of 1977 Wiegel for a second time as lijsttrekker won again six seats and after a long formation period resulted in a coalition agreement with the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) which formed the Cabinet Van Agt I. Wiegel became Minister of the Interior and Deputy Prime Minister serving from December 19, 1977, until September 11, 1981.
For the Dutch general election of 1981 Wiegel again as lijsttrekker lost two seats and he again returned returned to the House of Representatives and as the Parliamentary leader serving May 27, 1981, until April 20, 1982, when he retired from national politics at the age of forty to become the Queen's Commissioner of Friesland, he served in this position from June 16, 1982, until February 1, 1994. After the Dutch Senate election of 1995, Wiegel became a Member of the Senate, serving from June 13, 1995, until April 1, 2000. In 1999 Wiegel caused a short cabinet crisis by voting against the constitutional revision that would make national referendums possible. This crisis is called the Night of Wiegel.
Wiegel retired from active politics at the age of fifty eight but continued to occupy numerous seats on supervisory boards in the business and industry world, including the Netherlands Healthcare insurance board, Staatsbosbeheer, Energy Research Centre of the Netherlands, Achmea and VNO-NCW. In recent years Wiegel has obtained by some as the status of a statesman and continues to comment on political affairs.