Prime Minister announces resignation, triggering new elections later this year
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Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte speaks to the press after the collapse of his government. EPA
Marwa Hassan
Jul 07, 2023
The Dutch government led by Prime Minister Mark Rutte has collapsed following disagreements over immigration.
A deadlock in the ruling coalition over the contentious issue has led to the immediate resignation of Mr Rutte – the longest-serving prime minister in the nation's history – and the calling of a general election later this year.
Mr Rutte and his government will continue in a caretaker capacity until a new ruling coalition is elected.
“It is no secret that the coalition partners have very different views on migration policy,” Mr Rutte said, announcing his resignation. “And today, unfortunately, we have to draw the conclusion that those differences are irreconcilable.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte speaks to the press after the collapse of his government. EPA
Marwa Hassan
Jul 07, 2023
The Dutch government led by Prime Minister Mark Rutte has collapsed following disagreements over immigration.
A deadlock in the ruling coalition over the contentious issue has led to the immediate resignation of Mr Rutte – the longest-serving prime minister in the nation's history – and the calling of a general election later this year.
Mr Rutte and his government will continue in a caretaker capacity until a new ruling coalition is elected.
“It is no secret that the coalition partners have very different views on migration policy,” Mr Rutte said, announcing his resignation. “And today, unfortunately, we have to draw the conclusion that those differences are irreconcilable.
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The crisis emerged from Mr Rutte's conservative VVD party's push to limit the flow of asylum seekers to the Netherlands, which was opposed by two of the four-party government coalition.
Despite lengthy meetings in an attempt to reconcile the differing views within the coalition, no agreement was reached on the policy.
This latest disagreement was triggered by Mr Rutte's proposal to limit the entrance of war refugees' children who are already in the Netherlands and to delay family reunions by at least two years.
The proposal was deemed unacceptable by the Christian Union and liberal D66, leading to the coalition's collapse.
Opposition politicians across the spectrum, from Geert Wilders, leader of the anti-immigration Party for Freedom, to Green Left leader Jesse Klaver, have called for fresh elections.
The coming election is expected to take place in a highly polarised and fragmented political landscape, with 20 parties in the 150-seat lower house.
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Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced the government would resign as disagreements among coalition parties about asylum policy were 'irreconcilable'. EPA
The migration issue has been a significant point of tension in the Netherlands and across Europe.
In the Netherlands, Mr Rutte's coalition had been attempting to hash out a deal to reduce the flow of new migrants into the country of nearly 18 million people.
In 2022, a little more than 21,500 people from outside Europe sought asylum in the Netherlands, and tens of thousands more migrated for work or study, putting a strain on already scarce housing resources.
Mr Rutte had sought to promote EU efforts to slow migration to the 27-nation bloc, and visited Tunisia last month with his Italian counterpart and the president of the EU's executive commission to offer more than €1 billion in financial aid to help stabilise the country's economy and curb migration from its shores to Europe.
Following the collapse of the government, the caretaker administration will remain in place until a new government is formed after the elections, a process that may take months due to the complexity of the Dutch political landscape.
The national elections committee, cited by the news agency ANP, stated that elections would not be held before mid-November.
Dutch Government Collapses Over Immigration Policy
July 07, 2023
Reuters
Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte speaks during a press conference at the Serbia Palace, in Belgrade, Serbia, July 3, 2023. His government fell July 7 when two coalition members refused to support his immigration policy.
AMSTERDAM - The Dutch government collapsed Friday after failing to reach a deal on restricting immigration, which will trigger new elections in the fall.
The crisis was triggered by a push by Prime Minister Mark Rutte's conservative VVD party to limit the flow of asylum-seekers to the Netherlands, which two of his four-party government coalition refused to support.
"It's no secret that the coalition partners have differing opinions about immigration policy. Today we unfortunately have to conclude that those differences have become insurmountable. Therefore, I will tender the resignation of the entire Cabinet to the king," Rutte said in a televised news conference.
Tensions came to a head this week when Rutte demanded support for a proposal to limit entrance of children of war refugees who are already in the Netherlands and to make families wait at least two years before they can be united.
This latest proposal went too far for the small Christian Union and liberal D66, causing a stalemate.
Rutte's coalition will stay on as a caretaker government until a new administration is formed after new elections, a process which in the fractured Dutch political landscape usually takes months.
News agency ANP, citing the national elections committee, said elections would not be held before mid-November.
A caretaker government cannot decide on new policies, but Rutte said it would not affect the country's support for Ukraine.
The Netherlands already has one of Europe's toughest immigration policies, but under the pressure of right-wing parties, Rutte had for months been trying to seek ways to further reduce the inflow of asylum-seekers.
Asylum applications in the Netherlands jumped by a third last year to over 46,000, and the government has projected they could increase to more than 70,000 this year — topping the previous high in 2015.
This will again put a strain on the country's asylum facilities, where for months last year hundreds of refugees at a time were forced to sleep in the rough with little or no access to drinking water, sanitary facilities or health care.
Rutte last year said he felt "ashamed" of the problems, after humanitarian group Medecins sans Frontieres sent in a team to the Netherlands for the first time ever, to assist with migrants' medical needs at the center for processing asylum requests.
He promised to improve conditions at the facilities, mainly by reducing the number of refugees that reach the Netherlands. But he failed to win the backing of coalition partners who felt his policies went too far.
Rutte, 56, is the longest-serving government leader in Dutch history and the most senior in the EU after Hungary's Viktor Orban. He is expected to lead his VVD party again at the next elections.
Rutte's current coalition, which came to power in January 2022, was his fourth consecutive administration since he became prime minister in October 2010.
AMSTERDAM - The Dutch government collapsed Friday after failing to reach a deal on restricting immigration, which will trigger new elections in the fall.
The crisis was triggered by a push by Prime Minister Mark Rutte's conservative VVD party to limit the flow of asylum-seekers to the Netherlands, which two of his four-party government coalition refused to support.
"It's no secret that the coalition partners have differing opinions about immigration policy. Today we unfortunately have to conclude that those differences have become insurmountable. Therefore, I will tender the resignation of the entire Cabinet to the king," Rutte said in a televised news conference.
Tensions came to a head this week when Rutte demanded support for a proposal to limit entrance of children of war refugees who are already in the Netherlands and to make families wait at least two years before they can be united.
This latest proposal went too far for the small Christian Union and liberal D66, causing a stalemate.
Rutte's coalition will stay on as a caretaker government until a new administration is formed after new elections, a process which in the fractured Dutch political landscape usually takes months.
News agency ANP, citing the national elections committee, said elections would not be held before mid-November.
A caretaker government cannot decide on new policies, but Rutte said it would not affect the country's support for Ukraine.
The Netherlands already has one of Europe's toughest immigration policies, but under the pressure of right-wing parties, Rutte had for months been trying to seek ways to further reduce the inflow of asylum-seekers.
Asylum applications in the Netherlands jumped by a third last year to over 46,000, and the government has projected they could increase to more than 70,000 this year — topping the previous high in 2015.
This will again put a strain on the country's asylum facilities, where for months last year hundreds of refugees at a time were forced to sleep in the rough with little or no access to drinking water, sanitary facilities or health care.
Rutte last year said he felt "ashamed" of the problems, after humanitarian group Medecins sans Frontieres sent in a team to the Netherlands for the first time ever, to assist with migrants' medical needs at the center for processing asylum requests.
He promised to improve conditions at the facilities, mainly by reducing the number of refugees that reach the Netherlands. But he failed to win the backing of coalition partners who felt his policies went too far.
Rutte, 56, is the longest-serving government leader in Dutch history and the most senior in the EU after Hungary's Viktor Orban. He is expected to lead his VVD party again at the next elections.
Rutte's current coalition, which came to power in January 2022, was his fourth consecutive administration since he became prime minister in October 2010.
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