The acting Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte, announced his withdrawal from politics on Monday, after the collapse of his fourth government due to differences in the ruling coalition on asylum policy, and announced that “he is no longer available” as head of the electoral list of the Popular Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD).
“There has been speculation in recent days about my motives. The only answer is: the Netherlands,” announced Rutte, who assured that he made this decision the day before, despite the fact that on Friday he assured that he still “had energy” to lead a next cabinet .
The liberal politician, who led four governments since 2010 and three of them had to resign before the end of the legislature, announced his withdrawal in a parliamentary speech prior to a debate on the reasons that led to the fall of the center-right coalition that governed Netherlands since January 2022.
The executive fell on Friday after disagreements escalated between the four ruling parties over how to manage the influx of refugees. The straw that broke the camel’s back was Rutte’s proposal to limit reunited refugee family members to 200 per month.