Marius Ernsting

Marius Ernsting (born 5 November 1947) is a Dutch non-profit director and former politician. A former member of the anarchist Kabouters, serving as one of their members in the Amsterdam municipal council from 1971 to 1972, Ernsting served in the Dutch House of Representatives from 1983 to 1986 and in the North Holland provincial council from 1987 to 1995 for the Communist Party of the Netherlands (CPN) and from 1991 for GroenLinks. He has also been active in the non-profit volunteer sector.

Early life and Kabouter Party Marius Ernsting was born on 5 November 1947 in Beemster into a family of horticulturalists. He was raised in a religiously orthodox Reformed Protestant family, but abandoned the faith during his student years due to what he saw as a "lack of elementary justice" in the church. After completing his secondary education in Purmerend and Amsterdam, Ernsting began attending the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam in 1965, studying political science. Subsequently, he joined the Kabouters, an anarchist movement which Ernsting saw as necessary to draw attention to issues ignored by the political establishment. In April 1971, Ernsting was elected to the Amsterdam municipal council for the Kabouter Party, but resigned the next year in order to help pay for his studies. As an MP, Ernsting focused on internal affairs, education, science and cultural affairs. though he would continue to criticise the newly united GroenLinks party for its perceived lack of a clear political profile. He served as the leader of the GroenLinks group in the North Holland provincial council until 1995.

Later life Ernsting has been active in the non-profit sector after his retirement from politics, serving as the director of the volunteer organisation Humanitas from 1996 to 2006 and the chairman of a national organisation for volunteer organisations from 2006 to 2013, among other roles.

Personal life Ernsting is married, and has three children.