'13 Years in Office' Longest-Serving Dutch Prime Minister Announces Retirement from Politics... Aftermath of 'Coalition Collapse'

Mark Rutte, the Prime Minister who led the Dutch coalition government for 13 years, announced his retirement from politics on the 10th (local time).

According to local media, Prime Minister Rutte appeared before the Dutch parliament in The Hague on the same day and stated, "I have determined that it is no longer possible to serve as the leader of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD)," adding, "I will leave politics once a new coalition government is formed after the general election." An early general election is scheduled for November, so it is expected that Rutte's resignation will take place around that time.

Since 2010, Rutte has led the current coalition government composed of four parties, including his own VVD. Having been elected four times, he is the longest-serving prime minister in Dutch history. He has been praised for managing the government steadily through crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic and economic challenges, earning him the nickname "Mr. Normal."

Although a fifth term was considered possible, he recently proposed limiting the entry of war refugees bringing young children into the Netherlands to a certain extent, which faced opposition from the parties participating in the coalition government.

Ultimately, failing to find a consensus among the coalition parties led to internal division exploding, and on the 8th, Rutte officially declared the collapse of the coalition and submitted his resignation to the monarch.

Initially, the opposition party had planned to hold a vote of no confidence against the prime minister on the same day, but withdrew the motion following Rutte's announcement of his retirement from politics.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.