Dutch PM seeks king’s permission to form caretaker govt
The Dutch government collapsed Friday when members of the four-party ruling coalition could not come to an agreement over asylum policies during crisis talks overseen by Prime Minister Mark Rutte.
Parliament is expected to be dissolved and new elections will likely be held in November, Dutch media reported.
After parliament is dissolved, an election will be held, expected in November.
Rutte, 56, in power since 2010, is the Netherlands’ longest serving prime minister. He told a press conference on Friday he’d like to run for a fifth term but would consult with his party before making a final decision.
Rutte’s VVD party has been trying to crack down on migrants arriving in the Netherlands following reports that facilities for migrants are overcrowded, the BBC reported.
“If you were to ask me to decide now, the answer is obviously ‘yes’,” he told journalists, but added, “It’s also up to the party”.
The ruling coalition has been split on immigration policy for more than a year. The current crisis came to a head this week as Rutte’s party pushed to limit the entrance of children of war refugees who are already in the Netherlands.
Rutte’s party wants to make the families wait for two years until they can be reunited. That proposal was barred by two of the coalition parties — the small Christian Union and liberal D66.
