The Dutch Prime Minister, Mark Rutte, is facing a no confidence vote in parliament on Monday, potentially putting an end to his historic run as the longest serving government leader in Dutch history. This comes just three days after Rutte abruptly resigned from his fourth administration. For now, Rutte’s coalition will remain as a caretaker government until a new administration is formed, a process that typically takes months in the fractured Dutch political landscape.
However, opposition parties are seeking to remove Rutte immediately, citing a loss of trust in his handling of negotiations regarding stricter migration policies, which ultimately led to the government’s collapse on Friday. Attje Kuiken, the leader of the opposition Labour party, expressed her thoughts on the matter during the Nieuwsuur TV program on Sunday night, stating, “Rutte has caused this government crisis, we need an outsider to step in, to avoid standstill and repair trust.” She added, “In the interest of the country, he should step aside.”
Typically, a no confidence vote would not pose a threat to Rutte, thanks to the support of his four-party majority government. However, coalition partners have made it clear over the weekend that they largely hold Rutte accountable for the cabinet crisis. They argue that he pushed for limits on family migration, even knowing that these measures were too extreme for the junior partner, Christian Union. This led to strong statements from the leader of the liberal D66 party, the second-largest party after Rutte’s conservative VVD, who accused the prime minister of behaving “irresponsibly,” while the Christian Democrat CDA labeled him “reckless.”
During the debate, scheduled to begin at 0815 GMT, it remains uncertain whether coalition partners will support the no confidence vote. Rutte, who has been prime minister since 2010, is currently the longest serving government leader in the EU, second only to Hungary’s Viktor Orban. Earlier, he had expressed his interest in seeking a fifth term in office at the upcoming elections in November. Bart Meijer reports on this development, with Lincoln Feast overseeing the editing process.
Credit: The Star : News Feed
