Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte has presented his government’s written resignation to King Willem-Alexander, who returned from holiday to receive it.
It was Rutte’s fourth government – a fragile, four-party coalition of his People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), the liberal democratic Democrats 66, the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) and centrist ChristenUnie. It took 10 months to agree its formation and it lasted less than 18 months.
The coalition of radically different outlooks was brought down over the issue of immigration. Amid concerns about a housing crisis, high gas prices and inflation, some sought to blame foreign migrants – international students, wealthier “expats” and particularly asylum seekers.
Although the level of asylum seekers this year is expected to be 45,000, roughly the same as 2022, Rutte and the CDA reportedly argued for a harder stance in a new bill, restricting the rights of family members to join refugees from countries temporarily at war. Democrats 66 and particularly the ChristenUnie disagreed, and cabinet talks broke down on Friday.
“It’s no secret that the coalition parties think very differently about asylum policy and today we unfortunately need to draw the conclusion that the differences are unbridgeable,” said Rutte in a press conference on Friday night. “The fall of a government is never good. But it is sometimes impossible in a coalition country like the Netherlands to come to one agreement.”
Driving to give his resignation to the king – unusually, because he often travels by bicycle – Rutte was tight-lipped. “I will not say anything about it, because these are private discussions,” he said.
But the government’s resignation is unlikely to help the Netherlands solve its pressing problems.
Rutte named a few issues in his resignation press conference, including housing asylum seekers, after recent cuts in the system and general housing shortages led to desperate situations at Ter Apel registration centre last year. Others were cutting nitrogen-related pollution, supporting victims of earthquakes in Groningen and a government childcare benefits scandal after thousands were incorrectly accused of fraud. “The Netherlands is waiting for solutions and not for postponement,” said Rutte.
However, there will be no speedy resolution to the lack of government. Elections are expected in November with another formation period ahead in the fragmented, multiparty system. In the meantime, Rutte’s “caretaker” government can make few decisions. Sharon Dijksma, chairperson of the VNG, the Dutch Association for Municipalities, said in a statement that the collapse was “rash … Standing still is now irresponsible.”
Although Rutte said no one party pulled the plug, some blamed him, saying pressure from his party to be harder on asylum – in exchange for supporting a bill to “spread” refugees evenly between municipalities – led him to make an ultimatum. Party chair of the D66 liberal democratic party Jan Paternotte told the Op1 current affairs programme that Rutte put extra demands on the table, especially around the children of refugees. “Rutte was a premier who was always looking for solutions, not ‘my way or the highway’, but that is what happened this week,” he said.
An opinion poll for current affairs programme EenVandaag of 18,000 people found that almost three in four said it was “unacceptable” for Rutte to return as prime minister and 83% thought his fourth administration had done a bad job.
Some were celebrating the fall. Geert Wilders, head of the anti-immigration Party for Freedom, started campaigning. And Caroline van der Plas, head of the new populist Farmer-Citizen Movement – which swept to surprise victory in regional elections in March and is now a major player in the Senate – tweeted that its flags were already hanging out.
