‘Mr Normal’ Dutch PM Mark Rutte claims victory in election
- Mark Rutte, one of Europe’s longest serving leaders, has now won four elections in a row
- Elections seen as a judgment on the government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte claimed an “overwhelming” victory in elections, vowing to use his fourth term in office to rebuild the country after the coronavirus pandemic.
Already one of Europe’s longest serving leaders after 10 years in office, exit polls on Wednesday showed Rutte’s liberal party clearly winning the most seats in parliament after the socially distanced three-day vote.
The pro-EU D66 party, which has challenged Rutte’s European policy as part of his current government, is set to surge into second place, while anti-Islam leader Geert Wilders lost ground to move into third, public broadcaster NOS predicted.
“The voters of the Netherlands have given my party an overwhelming vote of confidence,” a smiling Rutte told reporters in parliament.
Rutte said that “not everything has gone well in the last 10 years”, including his resignation in January over a scandal in which people were racially profiled and then falsely accused of scamming child benefits.