The Dutch Prime Minister will probably have to face new elections.
(Photo: IMAGO/ANP)
The Hague The Dutch government of Prime Minister Mark Rutte has collapsed in the dispute over migration policy. The heads of the four governing parties could not agree on Friday evening on steps to limit the influx of refugees, the ANP news agency reported, citing government circles.
The sticking point at the crisis meeting was a restriction on the family reunification of refugees who are already in the Netherlands and which Rutte’s right-wing liberal party VVD had demanded. These demands went too far for the other parties. Apparently, the initiative to dismiss the government came from the conservative ChristenUnie. After an extraordinary meeting of the Council of Ministers in the evening, the prime minister wanted to provide information on the situation.
Mark Rutte (56) has been Prime Minister of the Netherlands for almost 13 years, making him one of the longest-serving heads of government in the EU. Since January 2022, he has led his fourth cabinet after coalition negotiations that lasted a good nine months, making them the longest in the country’s history. A total of four parties were needed to achieve a majority in the second chamber of parliament: Rutte’s right-wing liberal VVD, the left-liberal D66, the Christian Democratic CDA and the small Christian Union.
After numerous crises, the coalition’s poll numbers had fallen sharply. In the most recent provincial elections in March, in which the first chamber of parliament – comparable to the Federal Council – was elected, all governing parties posted significant losses. The big election winner was the right-wing populist peasant movement BBB, which became the strongest force right away. The BBB is only represented by one deputy in the Lower House. Great success is predicted for the party in a new election.
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