Former leader of New Communist Party of Netherlands Rinze Visser dies at 87

Visser served as a municipal councillor for more than 55 years, becoming the longest-serving councillor in the Netherlands and one of the country's last communist elected representatives.

Born on 18 December 1938 in Lemmer, Friesland, Visser grew up in a communist family and became a member of the Communist Party of the Netherlands (CPN) in 1958. A former street paver by profession, he entered municipal politics in 1970, when he was elected to the council of Lemsterland. Following the 2014 municipal reorganisation, he continued serving in the council of De Fryske Marren. He remained in office until his deteriorating health prevented him from standing again in the 2026 municipal elections.

Visser's political life was closely connected with the struggle to preserve a Marxist-Leninist communist organisation in the Netherlands. During the ideological conflicts within the historic CPN, he opposed the party leadership's abandonment of Marxism-Leninism and its eventual dissolution. He became involved in the League of Communists in the Netherlands (VCN), established by communists who rejected the CPN's political course, and subsequently played a role in founding the NCPN in November 1992.

Visser served on the NCPN's Political Bureau and as chairman of its Central Committee. He also contributed regularly to Manifest, the party's newspaper, writing about political developments and social questions from a communist perspective. His political activity continued through the years following the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the socialist states of Eastern Europe, when communist organisations faced a difficult period of retrenchment.

Alongside his party responsibilities, Visser was known locally for his practical assistance to residents facing poverty, administrative difficulties and injustice. He helped people navigate complicated paperwork and disputes with public authorities, and remained active in municipal politics well into his eighties. His long service was recognised in September 2025, when he received an honorary medal from the municipality.

In its obituary, published in Manifest on 18 October, the party leadership remembered Visser as a comrade who never abandoned his ideals and principles. It highlighted his commitment to opposing injustice and working towards a socialist future, as well as his contribution to the survival and reconstruction of the communist movement in the Netherlands.

Visser's death marks the passing of a figure whose political career spanned more than six decades, from the historic CPN through the formation of the NCPN and the restoration of the CPN name in 2026. His legacy combines the defence of communist political continuity with decades of direct service to working people in local government.