Only my mothers side. My father was in the military.
Only my mothers side. My father was in the military.
The prime minister, Rutte, resigned due to "unbridgeable" disagreements over how many foreigners to give asylum to.
Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte has presented his government's written resignation to King Willem-Alexander, who returned from holiday to receive it. It was Rutte's fourth government -- a fragile, four-party coalition of his People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), the liberal democratic Democrats 66, the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) and centrist ChristenUnie. It took 10 months to agree its formation and it lasted less than 18 months.
The coalition of radically different outlooks was brought down over the issue of immigration. Amid concerns about a housing crisis, high gas prices and inflation, some sought to blame foreign migrants -- international students, wealthier "expats" and particularly asylum seekers.
Although the level of asylum seekers this year is expected to be 45,000, roughly the same as 2022, Rutte and the CDA reportedly argued for a harder stance in a new bill, restricting the rights of family members to join refugees from countries temporarily at war. Democrats 66 and particularly the ChristenUnie disagreed, and cabinet talks broke down on Friday.
"It's no secret that the coalition parties think very differently about asylum policy and today we unfortunately need to draw the conclusion that the differences are unbridgeable," said Rutte in a press conference on Friday night. "The fall of a government is never good. But it is sometimes impossible in a coalition country like the Netherlands to come to one agreement."
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The prime minister, Rutte, resigned due to "unbridgeable" disagreements over how many foreigners to give asylum to.
>>
Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte has presented his government's written resignation to King Willem-Alexander, who returned from holiday to receive it.
It was Rutte's fourth government -- a fragile, four-party coalition of his People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), the liberal democratic Democrats 66, the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) and centrist ChristenUnie. It took 10 months to agree its formation and it lasted less than 18 months.
>>
The coalition of radically different outlooks was brought down over the issue of immigration. Amid concerns about a housing crisis, high gas prices and inflation, some sought to blame foreign migrants -- international students, wealthier "expats" and particularly asylum seekers.
>>
Although the level of asylum seekers this year is expected to be 45,000, roughly the same as 2022, Rutte and the CDA reportedly argued for a harder stance in a new bill, restricting the rights of family members to join refugees from countries temporarily at war. Democrats 66 and particularly the ChristenUnie disagreed, and cabinet talks broke down on Friday.
>>
"It's no secret that the coalition parties think very differently about asylum policy and today we unfortunately need to draw the conclusion that the differences are unbridgeable," said Rutte in a press conference on Friday night. "The fall of a government is never good. But it is sometimes impossible in a coalition country like the Netherlands to come to one agreement."
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