The World Briefly

July 10, 2023

The Cycle

Netherlands

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The Dutch government collapsed over the weekend after the ruling four-party coalition failed to agree on new policies that would restrict immigration, the Washington Post reported.

The governing coalition of Prime Minister Mark Rutte had been negotiating over policies to curb the number of refugees and asylum seekers in the Netherlands, as the European Union has been struggling to handle an influx of refugees in recent years.

The proposed changes would require families to wait at least two years before they can be reunited and impose an annual cap of 200 entries for the relatives of war refugees already in the Netherlands.

One of the main changes would be to create two tiers of refugees: Those escaping persecution – who would be granted more rights – and those fleeing war.

Rutte’s center-right party and coalition partner the Christian Democratic Appeal party wanted tighter restrictions, but other members were opposed to them.

Following the collapse, the current government will operate in a caretaker capacity until elections are held later this year.

Even so, government collapses are not uncommon in the Netherlands – particularly for Rutte, the country’s longest-serving prime minister.

Two years ago, Rutte and his cabinet stepped down after being involved in a scandal where parents were wrongly accused of child welfare fraud. However, they regained their seats when they were reelected two months later.

In 2012, another ruling coalition government headed by Rutte collapsed after budget negotiations broke down, only for Rutte’s VVD party to be reelected with even more seats.

This story originally appeared in the July 10, 2023 newsletter, The Tiger's Stripes.