| Farid Azarkan | |
| Office1: | Leader of Denk |
| Term Start1: | 26 September 2020 |
| Term End1: | 3 August 2023 |
| Predecessor1: | Tunahan Kuzu |
| Office2: | Leader of Denk in the House of Representatives |
| Term Start2: | 21 March 2020 |
| Predecessor2: | Tunahan Kuzu |
| Office3: | Member of the House of Representatives |
| Term Start3: | 23 March 2017 |
| Term End3: | 5 December 2023 |
| Party: | DENK |
| Birth Date: | 16 October 1971 |
| Birth Place: | Tafersit, Morocco |
| Residence: | Culemborg |
| Alma Mater: | (BBA) Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (Drs.) University of Greenwich / Saxion (MSc) |
| Term End2: | 3 August 2023 |
| Successor1: | Stephan van Baarle |
| Successor2: | Stephan van Baarle |
Farid Azarkan (born 16 October 1971) is a Dutch politician who has been serving as the Leader of Denk since 26 September 2020.[1] [2] [3] Additionally, he has been a member of the House of Representatives since 23 March 2017. Azarkan previously held the position of parliamentary leader between 21 March 2020 and 3 August 2023. Azarkan was the lijsttrekker for Denk in the 2021 general election.[4]
In February 2017, reports surfaced indicating that certain members of the youth department of Denk had created fake social media profiles with the intent of influencing public opinion.[5] Tunahan Kuzu acknowledged the existence of these internet trolls and stated that they would be held accountable for their actions.[6] [7] Furthermore, Kuzu said that "Farid Azarkan may have given some sort of permission, but that is not entirely clear."[8]
Azarkan has been criticised for designing a banner in the style of the PVV with the image of the populist politician Geert Wilders and the logo of the PVV with the slogan "After March 15, we will purify the Netherlands". According to DENK, the idea behind the campaign would have been to "show how far the PVV can go." Nonetheless, the party management, Selçuk Öztürk and Tunahan Kuzu, decided not to place the advertisement.[9] [10]