On July 7, the Mark Rutte-led center-right coalition government in the Netherlands collapsed over differences between the coalition partners on the refugee policy. Snap elections to the 150-seat House of Representatives are now scheduled to take place on November 22.
Surprising both his supporters and opponents, Rutte, the leader of the center-right People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) and the longest-serving prime minister of the country, announced his retirement from politics. Calling for political change in the country, the progressive center-left, socialist, and green parties in the opposition have stepped up their preparation for the upcoming general election.
Among them, the left-wing populist Socialist Party (SP), led by Lilian Marijnissen, has announced that it will kickstart its campaign with a major demonstration in The Hague on September 17, called ‘Stand up for the Netherlands.’ The party, which had nine MPs in the outgoing House, has called for a “Netherlands without Rutte.”
The center-left green party, the GroenLinks (GL), which had eight MPs, and the social democratic Labor Party (PvdA), with nine MPs, have decided to form a joint list for the elections. On July 17, the GroenLinks leadership announced that 91.8% of their membership and 87.9% of the PvdA members who voted in inner party polls had supported the decision to form a joint list. GroenLinks also said that “The Netherlands is ready for social and green change.”
Esther Ouwehand will be leading the leftist Party for Animals (PvdD), which had six MPs in the outgoing House. The party is a part of the European Left (GUE/NGL).
Rutte was in power in the Netherlands from 2010 and led four cabinets. The third Rutte cabinet was forced to resign on January 15, 2021, following revelations that more than 20,000 families had been wrongly accused of fraud by the tax authorities over childcare subsidies. Rutte’s fourth cabinet was formed after the general elections in March 2021, and comprised the VVD (34 MPs), the centrist Democrats 66 (24 MPs), the center-right Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) (14 MPs), and the Christian Union (5 MPs).
This cabinet collapsed due to disagreements between the VVD and other coalition partners on the refugee policy. According to reports, Rutte’s VVD insisted on dividing refugees in the country into two categories—refugees fleeing persecution and those fleeing wars. The VVD advocated that while the first category could be offered long-term stay in the Netherlands, those fleeing wars were bound to return to their own country once the war ended. The VVD also insisted on limits and restrictions on the second category of refugees from bringing their families to the Netherlands. The proposal was opposed by Christian parties in the coalition who are against the separation of families.
The Rutte government also faced harsh criticism and protests from socialists and working class sections over its flawed policies to curb the ongoing cost of living crisis. Housing rights coalitions have also been demanding affordable housing to combat the soaring housing crisis. Meanwhile, racism and Islamophobia have been on the rise. In spite of all this, the Netherlands has earmarked € 2.5 billion (USD 2.81 billion) in support for Ukraine in 2023—as military aid and to support repair and reconstruction activities.
On July 14, Arnout Hoekstra, the general secretary of the Socialist Party (SP), told Peoples Dispatch that “the resignation of the Rutte 4 government is excellent news for the Netherlands. This government has created more problems than it has solved. It is time for a different, fairer politics that addresses high costs, housing shortages, and healthcare deficiencies. Rutte 3 had to step down because they devastated the lives of people affected by the childcare allowance scandal. Then, the same parties, with the same ideas and the same people, simply continued in Rutte 4. But they cannot solve the problems for which they themselves are responsible. This has become evident. That is why new elections must be held quickly.”
“The SP (Socialistische Partij) is ready for new elections. This is our chance to choose a different future for our country. We are prepared. On Sunday, September 17, we will kick off our election campaign with a big demonstration in The Hague, standing up for the Netherlands – a Netherlands with good healthcare, affordable housing, and a government that is there for the people,” he added.
Various far-right parties including the Party for Freedom (PVV) and the Forum for Democracy (FVD) are also in the fray, and have been resorting to racist and Islamophobic hate-mongering against migrants and minorities to garner votes.
