The differences between the coalition parties in the field of migration have proved to be irreconcilable. That is what Prime Minister Mark Rutte says in a press conference about the fall of his cabinet.
Rutte will present his resignation to the king in writing this evening. He calls the situation “deplorable, but the political reality we cannot ignore”. Tomorrow Rutte will update the king.
VVD, CDA, D66 and ChristenUnie continue caretaker. Rutte emphasized that the four parties have jointly come to the conclusion that there is no point in continuing to talk. He denied earlier reports that the ChristenUnie had taken the initiative to do so. “It’s a unanimous decision.”
The breaking point has become family reunification for asylum seekers with a residence permit. The VVD wanted a pause button and a quota on the number of family members per month. For the Christian Union this is unpalatable. Rutte did not want to elaborate on that.
“We were working on a whole package of measures,” said Rutte. “There was no agreement on that yet. Family reunification was an important part of it.”
“It is a pity that we cannot finish the work due to this separation halfway through the ride,” Rutte said about the cooperation in the coalition. The “firmness” he has shown this week in the discussions within the cabinet has not helped, Rutte acknowledged. “But that is not the reason for the cabinet fall,” he said.
Rutte does not blame himself for anything, except that he “could have presented his objections more kindly”. Other parties do point to the VVD leader. CDA party chairman Pieter Heerma called his attitude bordering on reckless and “irresponsibly harsh”.
Despite the fall of the cabinet, Rutte does have the energy to continue as leader of the VVD. But he wants to consult with the party leadership first. “I’m going to think about it for a while.”
No cabinet led by Rutte was there for as short a time as its fourth. The fall came 543 days after being sworn in by the king. It was his second cabinet consisting of VVD, D66, CDA and ChristenUnie.
Rutte’s first cabinet was there for 558 days when Rutte made his way to the then Queen to submit his resignation. That was a cabinet of VVD and CDA with tolerance support from Geert Wilders’ PVV. It fell because Wilders did not agree to new cuts.
The second Rutte cabinet, of VVD and PvdA, was the longest-serving cabinet since World War II. It completely served its term between 2012 and 2017. The Rutte III cabinet was sworn in on October 26, 2017 and resigned on January 15, 2021. That was in response to the child benefit scandal.
According to the Electoral Council, an advisory body on electoral law and election issues, new elections will not be held until mid-November at the earliest. On Monday, the House will debate the fall of the cabinet.