Longest-serving Dutch PM Mark Rutte resigns amid migration row
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte submitted his resignation after his coalition government collapsed over "insurmountable" differences. Speaking to the media, he said, "It is no secret that the coalition partners have very different views on migration policy."
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FollowDutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte visited the king Saturday to hand in the resignation of his four-party coalition, setting the deeply divided Netherlands on track for a general election later this year. Rutte drove his Saab station waggon to the palace for the meeting in order to explain the political crisis that led to the downfall of his cabinet. King Willem-Alexander flew back from a family holiday in Greece to meet with Rutte.
As he left the over-an-hour-long meeting, Rutte declined to speak with media, claiming that the discussions with the monarch were confidential. The vexed issue of reining in migration that has troubled countries across Europe for years was the final stumbling block that brought down Rutte’s government Friday night, exposing the deep ideological differences between the four parties that made up the uneasy coalition. It will probably now rule the election campaigns, which is still months away.
Geert Wilders, the head of the anti-immigration Party for Freedom, who helped form Rutte's first minority government 13 years ago but ultimately brought it down, asserted that "we are the party that can ensure a majority to significantly restrict the flow of asylum seekers."
In August of last year, Mark Rutte surpassed all previous Dutch prime ministers in terms of tenure. After being chosen in 2010, Rutte held the position for 13 years. He is fondly known as “Teflon Mark,” as scandals didn't stick to him. He was given the title because even after the unrest gripped the nation and his party's popularity dwindled in polls, he showed no signs of slowing down.
Between July 2002 and June 2004, Mark Rutte served as the state secretary for social affairs and employment for the Balkenende administrations. From June 2006 until October 2010, Mark Rutte served as the VVD parliamentary party's leader. In 2006, he also held the position of State Secretary for Education, Culture, and Science.
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