Career in national politics, 2010–2019 As a member of the
People's Party for Freedom and Democracy, Azmani was a member of the
House of Representatives from 2010 until 2019. He was also a member of the
municipal council of
Ommen from 2010 until 2014. In his political work, he primarily focused on migration and asylum, human trafficking and prostitution, as well as the Intelligence and Security Services Act (Wiv). Furthermore, from 2014 until August 2018, Azmani chaired the Committee on European Affairs in the House of Representatives. In addition to his role in parliament, Azmani served as member of the Dutch delegation to the
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe from 2013 until 2016.
Member of the European Parliament, 2019–present In October 2018, Azmani was (unopposed) elected as the official leading candidate for the VVD in the
European Parliament elections. Following the elections, Azmani was part of a cross-party working group in charge of drafting the European Parliament's four-year work program on rule of law, borders and migration. In parliament, Azmani has since been serving as deputy chairman of the
Renew Europe group, initially under the leadership of chairman
Dacian Cioloș. He is also a member of the
Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs and a substitute member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs. In 2021, he joined the parliament's working group on
Frontex, led by
Roberta Metsola. Since 2021, Azmani has been part of the Parliament's delegation to the
Conference on the Future of Europe. In addition to his committee assignments, Azmani is part of the Parliament's delegations for relations with the
Maghreb countries and the
Arab Maghreb Union as well as to the Parliamentary Assembly of the
Union for the Mediterranean. He is also a member of the
European Parliament Intergroup on LGBT Rights. As deputy leader of Renew Europe, Azmani took over leadership of the group for two weeks in January 2024 when
Stéphane Séjourné stepped down from the European Parliament to serve as Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs in France. Azmani decided to not apply for the permanent chairmanship. Newspaper
Trouw reported that his potential candidacy was controversial due to the VVD's willingness to negotiate with the right-wing populist
Party for Freedom as part of the
2023–2024 cabinet formation. He was
re-elected in June 2024 as the VVD's
lead candidate, when the party won four seats. He has also served as vice president of the
ALDE Party, and his focus in the parliament is on justice, security, migration, and foreign affairs. == Electoral history ==