It is the third time that a government headed by the conservative Mark Rutte, the longest-serving Dutch prime minister, has collapsed. What happened?
In just 18 months, the differences between the partners of the Executive in immigration matters have made it happen again: Rutte communicated to the King this Saturday the resignation.
The partners of the coalition have had disagreements in different fields, such as energy, ecological transmission or housing problems, but It has been in immigration matters where the parties have come up with “irreconcilable differences”in the words of the Prime Minister himself.
It was last Wednesday when Rutte tensed the negotiations by presenting a proposal to limit the number of spouses and minor children of war refugees entering the country. According to local media, the prime minister’s party wants to put an entry cap of 200 a month.
In addition, it proposes that families from territories at war have to wait two years to meet again and can only have a three-year residence permit, with a view to ending the conflict in their country of origin. Rutte’s inflexibility has been ended by breaking the rope. Some political analysts consider that this is a maneuver that could help Rutte’s party to regain ground against other formations.
The number of asylum applications received in the Netherlands went from 36,620 in 2021 to 47,991 last year. Most of the applicants came from Syria.
The opposition welcomes the resignation
The opposition parties in the Netherlands celebrate the break this Friday of the center-right coalition led by Mark Rutte and call for early electionsdespite the fact that the prime minister has not yet submitted his resignation, nor has he clarified whether he will seek to continue in a minority government.
The leader of the far-right PVV party, Geert Wilders, demanded the holding of “snap elections now” and a parliamentary debate “On Monday, Tuesday at most”, despite the fact that Parliament began its summer recess today.
