The resignation of Prime Minister Mark Rutte means the country will have to hold a general election at the end of the year. Rutte and his government will remain in office in an interim capacity until a new government is elected.
“It’s no secret that the coalition partners have very different views on immigration policy,” Rutte told reporters in The Hague. “And today, unfortunately, we have to draw the conclusion that these differences are irreconcilable. That is why I am going to present immediately… the resignation of the entire cabinet to the king in writing.”
Opposition lawmakers were quick to call for new elections, even before Rutte formally confirmed his resignation.
Geert Wilders, leader of the anti-immigration Freedom Party, tweeted: “Fast elections now.” The leader of the Green Left, Jesse Klaver, also called for elections, telling the Dutch channel NOS that “this country needs a change of course.”
Rutte had chaired lengthy meetings Wednesday and Thursday that failed to reach an agreement on immigration policy. In a final round of talks on Friday night, the parties unanimously decided that they could not agree and therefore could not stay together in the coalition.
The decision highlighted ideological divisions that had existed since the day the coalition was sworn in, just over 18 months ago, between parties that do not support strict immigration control — the D66 and the also centrist Christian Union — and the two who are in favor of stricter measures: the People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy – to which Rutte belongs – and the Christian Democrats.
Similar debates are taking place elsewhere in Europe, as migrants fleeing conflict or seeking a better life make perilous sea journeys from North Africa to reach the continent. Hundreds of thousands of people have also fled the war in Ukraine.
Migration will be a major issue in next year’s European Union parliamentary elections, but the issue hit early in the Netherlands.
Rutte’s coalition tried for months to reach an agreement to reduce the flow of new migrants to this country of nearly 18 million people. The proposals reportedly included creating two classes of asylum – a temporary one for those fleeing conflict and a permanent one for those trying to escape persecution – and reducing the number of family members who can join asylum seekers in the Netherlands.
Rutte’s coalition government, the fourth he leads, took office in January 2022.
The elections to the lower house of the Dutch Parliament, due to be held later this year, will take place in a polarized and divided political landscape: there are 20 parties in the 150-seat lower house.
FUENTE: Associated Press
