Rutte Drives Alone When Presenting Letter of Resignation to the King of the Netherlands
Driving his own gray Saab station wagon, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte presented his resignation letter to King Willem-Alexander at the Huis ten Bosch Palace, The Hague.
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Acting Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte, left Huis ten Bosch Palace in The Hague, Netherlands, after submitting his resignation letter to King Willem-Alexander on Saturday (8/7/2023).
THE HAGUE, SATURDAY - The coalition government of the Netherlands led by Prime Minister Mark Rutte has disbanded due to sharp differences of opinion among coalition members in handling immigration issues. To form a new government, elections are scheduled to be held after mid-November.
Last Saturday (8/7/2023), Rutte met the King of the Netherlands Willem-Alexander at the Huis ten Bosch Palace, The Hague, to submit his letter of resignation and the dissolution of his government cabinet. The 56-year-old prime minister drove his own Saab station wagon to the palace. King Willem-Alexander returns early from a holiday with his family in Greece to receive a report from Rutte.
The meeting between Rutte and King Willem-Alexander lasted around 1.5 hours. Rutte refused to disclose the results of his meeting with the King. "This is a secret meeting," he said from behind the wheel of his own car, then left the Huis ten Bosch Palace complex.
The next main stage is the dissolution of parliament. However, before that, there will be a session in the lower house of parliament to discuss the decision to dissolve the government. The session is scheduled to take place on Monday (10/7/2023).
The decision to dissolve the Dutch government was made on Friday (7/7/2023). Rutte, the longest-serving prime minister in Dutch history and one of the most experienced politicians in Europe, said that the debate among the four parties in the government coalition in recent days failed to reach an agreement.
"It is no longer a secret that coalition partners have very different views on migration policies," Rutte said in a press conference in The Hague, which was broadcast live on television on Friday night. "Unfortunately, on Friday night, we had to conclude that these differences could no longer be bridged."
Also read: Dutch Government Disbands over Immigration Issues
The political crisis that resulted in the dissolution of the government in the Netherlands reflects the divide in the "Windmill Country" due to differences in political ideologies on several issues, particularly the issue of the influx of immigrants into the country. The Rutte government – his fourth government – was formed in January 2022 by four coalition partner parties, namely Democrats 66 (D66), Christian Union (CU), People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), and Christian Democrats (CDA). Rutte leads the VVD.
Dutch King Willem-Alexander (center) poses for a photo with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte (eighth from the left) and members of his cabinet, known as "Rutte IV," outside Noordeinde Palace in The Hague, Netherlands, on January 10, 2022. Less than 1.5 years after its formation, the government cabinet has dissolved.
Political tension between the parties has peaked this week when Rutte proposed restrictions on the entry of refugee children who have already been living in the Netherlands. He wants the maximum number of refugee families allowed to enter the Netherlands to be 200 per month. In addition, Rutte also proposed a minimum waiting period of two years before refugee families are allowed to live together in the Netherlands.
The proposal was strongly rejected by the Christian Union and D66. "Family, where children grow and develop together with their parents, is a core value for us," said Carola Schouten, Vice Prime Minister from the Christian Union.
Also read: Pope Francis Asks Europe to Be Responsible for Immigrants
Minister of Finance Sigrid Kaag (from the D66 party) referred to the current situation as "unnecessary tension in the process" of policy making. She regrets the dissolution of the current government.
According to Dutch media, Rutte has taken a strong stance on immigration issues to ease the pressure from right-wing groups in his VVD party and other right-wing parties, including anti-Islam figure Geert Wilders.
According to Dutch media, Rutte is taking tough steps on immigration issues to ease the pressure of the far-right groups within his party, the VVD, as well as other right-wing parties.
Rutte promised to take strong action on immigration issues following a scandal in several migration centers last year. At that time, the handling of the influx of asylum seekers was quite chaotic. As a result, a baby died, and hundreds of others slept in the open air without access to drinking water and health services.
Following the incident, Rutte expressed his "shame", especially after the humanitarian organization, Doctors Without Borders (Medecins sans Frontieres/MSF), for the first time sent their team to the Netherlands to provide medical assistance for asylum seekers.
The acting Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte, left his office in The Hague, Netherlands, following the dissolution of his government cabinet on Friday (7/7/2023).
Last year, asylum seekers in the Netherlands increased by a third from the previous year to more than 46,000 people. The Netherlands estimates that this year their number could increase to more than 70,000 people. This figure is higher than the number of refugees that entered the Netherlands during the refugee crisis in Europe in 2015.
interim government
While waiting for the formation of a new government as a result of the elections, Rutte will continue to lead the interim government (caretaker). Quoting the General Elections Commission (KPU) of the Netherlands, the ANP news agency reported that the next election would not be held after mid-November.
The current caretaker government cannot decide on new policies. For Rutte, the recently dissolved government is the fourth time he has headed it since taking office in 2010. In the Netherlands, Rutte is known by the nickname “Mark Teflon”, referring to his shrewdness in overcoming political shocks.
Various scandals have not affected his political career. Rutte remains like a non-stick Teflon that is resistant to various political storms and scandals. When forming a government, later dubbed "Rutte IV", in January 2022, he successfully bridged various differences of opinion among coalition partners after 271 days of negotiations.
The interim Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte (bottom right), leaves Huis ten Bosch Palace in The Hague, Netherlands, after submitting his resignation letter to King Willem-Alexander, on Saturday (8/7/2023).
Among European leaders, Rutte is only surpassed in terms of his long duration of governance by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. Rutte is not married and lives in the same house that he bought with his school friends. He is often seen cycling to attend cabinet meetings or when receiving state visits, while chewing an apple.
Throughout his political career, Rutte continued his job as a social sciences teacher at a high school in Den Haag. He is often touted to hold high-level international positions in the European Union (EU) or the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). However, he always dismisses it by saying that he has "occupied the best position in the world". He also often says that he does not want to leave Dutch politics.
In recent years, the Netherlands has experienced deep divisions and fractures in the political realm. In addition to the rift within the newly dissolved government, pressure has also arisen from the party of farmers' groups and populist figures who are anti-immigrant.
Also read: The Peasants' Party in the Netherlands Defeats the Ruling Party
BBB Party, which was initiated by farmers who oppose government regulations on the environment, will once again attempt to repeat their success in the Senate elections in March 2023, defeating the party led by Rutte. BBB Chairwoman Caroline van der Plas refused to join Rutte's government coalition. She did not rule out running for the Prime Minister's seat in the upcoming elections.
Regarding the upcoming new government, Rutte said that he still has the "energy" to move forward in his fifth term. However, before that, he will think deeply before making a decision.
"If you ask me to decide now, the answer is clear yes because I still have energy and ideas," said Rutte to journalists on Friday (7/7/2023) when asked about the possibility of him running again as PM in the upcoming election. (AP/AFP/REUTERS)
