Outgoing Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, the longest-serving PM in the EU after Hungary’s Viktor Orbán, is to depart politics for good.
In the Lower House on Monday, July 10th, Rutte, 56, stated he will not put himself up as his party’s leader for November’s upcoming elections. Earlier, he had expressed an interest in seeking a 5th term in office.
Rutte’s government (his 4th since taking office in 2010), fell last Friday after failed talks on asylum policy. Of all four governing parties, Rutte’s VVD and the CDA advanced a tough stance on family reunification, at which the ChristenUnie and D66 bristled.
Despite the opposition he faced, Rutte powered through nonetheless, triggering a crisis that resulted in his government’s eventual collapse.
The day after the news broke, July 7th, snap elections, to be held in November, were announced.
While Rutte had previously said he still had sufficient energy to continue, rumors circulated that some within his own party were already envisioning a post-Rutte future for the VVD.
Aware of this fact, the embattled PM might have made the calculation it was better to resign first, before facing his ouster.
During his Monday announcement, he said that there had been “speculation in recent days about what would motivate me. The only answer is: the Netherlands,” adding that his role in his country’s welfare was “wholly subordinate.”
Regarding the contested asylum policy, he said:
In recent months, despite different views, we [the coalition parties] have tried to achieve that ambition. All parties have gone to extremes, but sometimes having the will is not enough. Nothing then remains but to end the cooperation.
While Rutte may be leaving politics, he will continue leading a caretaker government until November’s elections, in which capacity he will still handle major challenges, such as the war in Ukraine.
Following his announcement, Rutte addressed the press. He emphasized that he himself made the decision to quit, and that it was not at the request of his party. “I do this with mixed feelings, with emotions. I love the team dearly. But it feels right.”
As for future plans, Rutte said he did not have any yet. Since he was already teaching social studies a few times a week in The Hague, he said he’d perhaps continue on that path. An important position at an international institution, such as NATO or the EU held no interest to him, he added.
