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Dutch government collapses over immigration policy dispute

08 July 2023 13:52 (UTC +04:00)

The Dutch government has collapsed after failing to reach an agreement on curbing immigration, APA reports citing CNN.

Prime Minister Mark Rutte said Friday that his government would tender its resignation to the Dutch king, triggering new elections to be held in the fall.

Rutte, who has been in power since 2010 and is Europe’s second-longest serving leader, said that disputes over measures to restrict immigration had caused his four-party coalition government to fracture.

“It’s no secret that the coalition partners have differing opinions about immigration policy,” Rutte said at a press conference late Friday night, claiming that “those differences have become insurmountable.”

King Willem-Alexander has returned early from his vacation to meet Rutte on Saturday, when the Prime Minister will formally offer his resignation.

The move was sparked by differences between Rutte’s conservative VVD party and coalition counterparts over measures to limit the flow of asylum seekers to the country.