July 8 (UPI) — Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte had a meeting with King Willem-Alexander at his official residence, Huis ten Bosch, in The Hague on Saturday following the collapse of the Netherlands government due to differences over immigration policy.
Rutte did not speak to the press after his hour-long conversation with the King, which came after his announcement on Friday that he would resign and dissolve his cabinet.
“The King has accepted the resignation and requested that the prime minister, ministers, and state secretaries continue to fulfill their duties in a caretaker capacity for the benefit of the Kingdom,” the government said in an official statement.
In a written resignation submitted on Friday evening, Rutte dissolved his fourth cabinet following four hours of emergency consultations with the four parties that make up the ruling coalition.
The cabinet dissolution was triggered by the inability of the coalition partners to reach an agreement on a proposed immigration package, with Rutte’s conservative VVD Party and the smallest government party, Christian Union, having opposing views, according to participants.
Rutte’s party had suggested measures to limit asylum seekers in response to reports of overcrowded migration centers, but these proposals were met with opposition from the junior coalition members, as reported by BBC.
Deputy Prime Ministers Carola Schouten of the Christian Union and Sigrid Kaag of the D66 Party confirmed to reporters that the fall of Rutte’s fourth cabinet was “inevitable” due to the irreconcilable disagreement over implementing stricter immigration policies.
This marks the third time Rutte has submitted his resignation to the King during his tenure as prime minister.
Dutch opposition parties have called for new elections, which are expected to take place in November.
Denial of responsibility! VigourTimes is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
