Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte is in talks with King Willem-Alexander to form a caretaker administration following the collapse of his center-right government over migration policy disputes. Rutte, who has been in power since 2010 and is the longest-serving prime minister in the Netherlands, is considering running for a fifth term. The government's collapse was triggered by a disagreement over a proposal to limit the arrival of children of war refugees already in the Netherlands and to make families wait at least two years before reuniting. - The proposal was opposed by the small Christian Union and liberal D66, leading to the government's downfall.
- The king is expected to ask Rutte's coalition to remain a caretaker government until a new administration is formed after the election, which usually takes months in the fragmented Dutch political landscape.
- Rutte assured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that his government's caretaker status would not affect Dutch support for Ukraine.
- The latest Ipsos poll, conducted a week before the government collapse, projected Rutte's VVD to remain the biggest party in the 150-seat parliament with 28 seats.
- Still, the Farmers' Protest party BBB is predicted to surge from one seat to 23, making it the second largest.
- The Netherlands, which already has one of Europe's strictest immigration policies, saw asylum applications jump by a third last year to over 46,000.
Telegraaf political commentator Wouter de Winther said forming a new government could take "a very long time," particularly since Rutte reportedly said he would like to remain a leader. |
