Ahmed Aboutaleb

Ahmed Aboutaleb (Arabic: أحمد أبو طالب; born 29 August 1961) is a Dutch politician of Moroccan origin. A member of the Labour Party (PvdA), he served as Mayor of Rotterdam from 2009 to 2024.

Early life and career

Ahmed Aboutaleb was born on 29 August 1961 in Beni Sidel, Nador city, Rif, Morocco. He grew up as a son of a Riffian Berber Sunni imam in a small village in the Nador Province, Rif region. Together with his mother and brothers he moved to the Netherlands in 1976, when he was 15 years old. Aboutaleb had already noticed how he differed from other children. As he says in an interview: 'I was so different, such a school dork. I wanted to learn, I wanted to know everything.'

Aboutaleb then studied electrical engineering with a specialisation in Telecommunication at different schools up to the Hogere Technische School (now The Hague University of Applied Sciences) where he obtained a Bachelor of Engineering degree.

After graduating he found work as reporter for Veronica TV, NOS-radio and RTL Nieuws. He also worked at the public relations department of the Dutch health ministry. In 1998, Aboutaleb became director of the Forum organisation, an institute dealing with multiculturalism in the Netherlands. He also obtained a post as a civil servant with the municipality of Amsterdam. In 2002, he applied for a government position with the Pim Fortuyn List party but chose not to take it up after disagreeing with the LPF's policies. He joined the PvdA a year later.