Mark Rutte, in his speech in the lower house of the Dutch parliament, just before the session on the resignation of the government, announced that he will not be the head of the People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), which he leads in the upcoming elections.
Rutte, in his speech, “After the elections, when the new cabinet takes office, I will quit politics.” said.
Rutte noted that he decided to quit active politics on Sunday night. he said.
Answering the questions of reporters after his speech, Rutte said, “My feelings are complex. It is an emotional decision, but handing over the task feels good.” she said.
The government resigned due to disagreements over immigration policies.
In the Netherlands, the parties in the coalition could not come to an agreement due to disagreements between the four parties in the coalition, which has been causing disagreements for a while, due to differences in opinion on the policies to limit the number of immigrants.
Rutte announced the resignation of the government at a press conference on Friday night, July 7, after the four parties failed to reach an agreement in talks on tightening immigration policies.
Thus, the fourth Rutte government resigned 543 days after taking office, before it had completed its four-year term.
The longest-serving Prime Minister of the Netherlands
Mark Rutte, who has been the Prime Minister of the Netherlands since 14 October 2010, became the country’s longest-serving Prime Minister as of August 2, 2022.
Rutte, who has been the head of the People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) for 17 years, has been serving as the Prime Minister for 12 years, 8 months and 26 days.
Rutte, who is expected to remain as the Prime Minister of the interim government until the elections are renewed, is expected to complete his 13th year in office.