Dutch prime minister resigns after ruling coalition fails to agree on migration policy

The decision by PM Mark Rutte, the Netherlands’ longest-serving premier, means the country will face a general election later this year

Earlier on Friday, the four parties in Rutte’s ruling bloc failed to broker a deal over ways to rein in migration

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Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte in The Hague, Netherlands on Friday. Photo: AFP

Published: 5:58am, 8 Jul 2023Updated: 6:58am, 8 Jul 2023

The Dutch government collapsed on Friday as Prime Minister Mark Rutte resigned because of irreconcilable differences within the four-party coalition about how to rein in migration, a divisive issue that has split nations across Europe.

The resignation of Rutte, the longest-serving premier of the nation, means the country will face a general election later this year. Rutte and his government will remain in office in a caretaker capacity until a new ruling coalition is chosen.

“It is no secret that the coalition partners have very different views on migration policy,” Rutte told reporters in The Hague.

“And today, unfortunately, we have to draw the conclusion that those differences are irreconcilable. That is why I will immediately … offer the resignation of the entire cabinet to the king in writing.”

Dutch Minister of Defence Kajsa Ollongren arrives at the Binnenhof in The Hague, Netherlands on Friday after the collapse of Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s coalition government. Photo: ANP / AFP

Opposition politicians wasted no time in calling for fresh elections even before Rutte formally confirmed his resignation.

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