Netherlands: Dutch Coalition Government Collapses Over Migration Issue; PM Mark Rutte Steps Down

The resignation of Mark Rutte, the longest-serving prime minister?of the nation on Friday indicates?a general election later this year.

It has been reported that 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", said Rutte.

Geert Wilders, leader of the anti-immigration Party for Freedom, tweeted, "Quick elections now."

Across the political spectrum, Green Left leader Jesse Klaver also called for elections and told Dutch broadcaster NOS: "This country needs a change of direction."

All about the incident

The coaliton government collpased as the parties failed to settle a deal on migration policy and?decided unanimously that they could not remain together in the coalition.

Rutte had presided over late-night meetings on Wednesday and Thursday.

Due to this decision, the ideological divisions that existed from the day the coalition was sworn in just over 18 months ago has become more prominent now.

The?difference of opinion created two groups within the coalition government, each having two parties. D66 and fellow centrist party ChristenUnie or Christian Union do not support a strict crackdown on migration while and the two that favour tougher measures include Rutte's conservative People's Party for Freedom and Democracy and the Christian Democrats.

Rutte's coalition tried for months to implement?a deal to reduce the flow of new migrants arriving in the country of nearly 18 million people.

Migration issues across Europe

Migration issues have turned into a common matter of discussion for several other places as well in?Europe which in fact?is set to be an essential theme of European Union parliamentary elections next year.

Hundreds of thousands of people have also fled the grinding war in Ukraine.

According to Netherland's statistics office,?over 21,500 people from outside Europe sought asylum in the Netherlands in 2022 while tens of thousands more moved to the Netherlands to work and study.

The numbers have put a strain on housing that already was in short supply in the densely populated country.

Rutte's government worked for a law that could compel municipalities to provide accommodations for newly arrived asylum-seekers, but the legislation has yet to pass through both houses of parliament.

The prime minister also promoted European Union efforts to slow migration to the 27-nation bloc. Rutte visited Tunisia last month with his Italian counterpart and the president of the EU's executive commission to offer more than 1 billion euros in financial aid to rescue the North African nation's teetering economy and to stem migration from its shores to Europe.