Mark Rutte
Encyclopedia
Mark Rutte (ˈmɑrk ˈrʏtə; born 14 February 1967) is a Dutch
politician who has been Prime Minister of the Netherlands
since 14 October 2010, as well as Minister of General Affairs
in the Rutte cabinet. He is the current leader of the Liberal
People's Party for Freedom and Democracy
(VVD).
Mark Rutte previously served as State Secretary
for Social Affairs and Employment
from 22 July 2002 to 17 June 2004 in the Cabinets Balkenende I
and II
. Subsequently he was State Secretary
for Education, Culture and Science from 17 June 2004 until his resignation on 27 June 2006, when he was elected to succeed Jozias van Aartsen
as the new VVD party leader
.
At the 2006 general election
the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy
under Rutte lost six seats and he became opposition leader, serving during the Cabinet Balkenende IV
. After the fall of the Cabinet Balkenende IV, a snap election was called, and Rutte was once again the VVD's lijsttrekker
(top party list candidate) for the 2010 general election
. The VVD won the highest number of votes cast, resulting in their occupying 31 of the 150 seats in the House of Representatives. After a long formation period
, Rutte became prime minister and formed a cabinet. When he was sworn in on 14 October 2010, he became the first liberal
Prime Minister in the Netherlands in 92 years.
, Rutte attended a gymnasium high school
, specialising in the arts, from 1979 till 1985. Although his original ambition was to attend the conservatory and become a concert pianist, he went to study history at Leiden University
, where he obtained a MA
degree in History in 1992. He combined his studies with a position in the board of the Youth Organisation Freedom and Democracy
, the youth organisation of the VVD, of which he was chairperson between 1988 and 1991.
After his studies he entered the business world, working as a manager for Unilever
and Calvé. Until 1997 he was part of the human resource
-department of Unilever and played a leading role in several reorganisations. Between 1997 and 2000 he was personnel manager for Van den Bergh Nederland, a subsidiary of Unilever. In 2000 he became member of the Corporate Human Resources Group. And since 2002 he was director of Human Resources for IgloMora Groep, another subsidiary of Unilever.
Between 1993 and 1997 he was a member of the national board of the VVD. He also served as a member of the VVD candidate committee for the
general election of 2002
. He was himself elected as a member of parliament in 2003.
in the Social Affairs and Employment
from 22 July 2002, until 17 June 2004 in the first Balkenende cabinet
, a post in which he was maintained after the general election of 2003
. He was responsible for fields including bijstand (municipal welfare) and arbeidsomstandigheden (Occupational safety and health
). After the 2003 elections Rutte was briefly member of the House of Representatives, between 30 January and 27 May 2003.
He served as State Secretary
for Higher Education and Science, within the Education, Culture and Science, replacing Annette Nijs
, from 17 June 2004, until 27 June 2006, in the first and second Balkenende cabinets. In office, Rutte has shown particular interest in making the Dutch higher education system
more competitive internationally, by trying to make it more market oriented (improving the position of students as consumers in the market for education). He would have been succeeded by former The Hague
alderman Bruno Bruins
. Before Bruins could be sworn into office, the second Balkenende cabinet
fell. In the third Balkenende cabinet
Bruins succeeded Rutte after all, as State Secretary
.
When Rutte resigned as State Secretary
in June 2006 it was to return to the House of Representatives and to become soon the Parliamentary leader
of the VVD. Rutte became an important figure within the VVD leadership. He was campaign manager for the 2006 municipal elections
.
In 2009, Rutte stated that Holocaust denial
, although it is ridicule as such, should no longer be punishable by law.
, the VVD having lost in the 2006 Dutch municipal election, the party held an internal election
for 'lijsttrekker', where Rutte competed against Rita Verdonk
and Jelleke Veenendaal
. On 31 May 2006, it was announced that Mark Rutte would be the next 'lijsttrekker' of the VVD. He was elected by 51.5% of the party members. Rutte's candidacy was backed by the VVD leadership, including the party board, and many prominent politicians such as Frank de Grave
, former minister of Defence, Ivo Opstelten
, the mayor of Rotterdam
and Ed Nijpels
, the Queen's Commissioner
of Friesland
. The Youth Organisation Freedom and Democracy
, the VVD's youth wing, of which he had been chairperson, also backed him. During the elections he promised "to make the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy a party for everyone and not just of the elite". His youthful appearance has been likened to the successful former leader of the Labour Party
, Wouter Bos
.
On accepting the role of candidate-lijsttrekker, Rutte had made it clear that he wished to change the face of the VVD into a party where everyone, not just the "happy few" could feel comfortable. He had also stated that with the current social security ideas of the Labour Party
, which he called too conservative, it was unlikely that they would cooperate or form a coalition after the elections. Later he stated that he felt that the Christian Democratic Appeal
(CDA) party was a party "the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy could do business with".
, the VVD campaign with Rutte as leader did not get off to a good start. Rutte received criticism from within his own party for the campaign. Rutte was said to be overshadowed by his own party members Rita Verdonk
and Gerrit Zalm
, as well as being unable to penetrate between Wouter Bos
and Jan Peter Balkenende
, who were generally seen as the prime candidates to become the next Prime Minister of the Netherlands
. On 27 November, it became known that Rita Verdonk managed to obtain more votes than Mark Rutte; Rutte obtained 553,200 votes against Verdonk's 620,555.
on the policy of the VVD, Rutte expelled her on 14 September 2007, from the party's parliamentary fraction.
, Rutte was once again the lijsttrekker
for the VVD. With 31 seats, his party came out the biggest in parliament out of these elections, for the first time in the history of Dutch politics
. A long period of negotiations followed, with several personalities succeeding each other as informateur, or persons being appointed by the Queen, in order to find out what coalition could be formed.
Efforts to have a coalition of liberals, Christian-democrats and socialists failed. Instead the only possibility appeared to be a center-right coalition of liberals and Christian democrats
(CDA), with the outside support of the Party for Freedom
(PVV), led by Geert Wilders
.
After having succeeded in making this minority government accepted by his own party, by the Christian democrats and by Geert Wilders, Rutte proceeded by appointing the ministers, with Maxime Verhagen
(CDA) as his deputy prime minister.
(charged with forming a new government) and formed his Cabinet
. He presented his team to Parliament and it was confirmed in office by the smallest possible majority.
Rutte is the first Prime Minister of the Netherlands
not from a Christian democratic party
or the Labour Party
since 1918 as well as the first liberal
to become PM since Pieter Cort van der Linden
, who was Prime Minister
from 1913 till 1918. He is also the first VVD PM.
Reformed Protestant Church in the Netherlands
. He still teaches two hours a week at a high school in The Hague.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
politician who has been Prime Minister of the Netherlands
Prime Minister of the Netherlands
The Prime Minister of the Netherlands is the chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Netherlands. He is the de facto head of government of the Netherlands and coordinates the policy of the government...
since 14 October 2010, as well as Minister of General Affairs
Ministry of General Affairs (Netherlands)
The Dutch Ministry of General Affairs is the ministry headed by the Prime Minister of the Netherlands...
in the Rutte cabinet. He is the current leader of the Liberal
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
People's Party for Freedom and Democracy
People's Party for Freedom and Democracy
The People's Party for Freedom and Democracy is a conservative-liberal political party located in the Netherlands. The VVD supports private enterprise in the Netherlands and is often perceived as an economic liberal party in contrast to the social-liberal Democrats 66 alongside which it sits in...
(VVD).
Mark Rutte previously served as State Secretary
State Secretary (Netherlands)
State Secretary is the title of a junior member of the Dutch or Belgian cabinet. Other terms for the title are deputy minister, junior minister or vice-minister...
for Social Affairs and Employment
Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment (Netherlands)
The Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment is the Dutch ministry of social affairs: it is occupied with employment, relations between employers and employees, the system of social security, and emancipation...
from 22 July 2002 to 17 June 2004 in the Cabinets Balkenende I
First Balkenende cabinet
The first cabinet of Jan Peter Balkenende was in office in the Netherlands from 22 July 2002 until 16 October of the same year. The term of 87 days was the shortest since the fifth cabinet of Hendrikus Colijn .Following the 15 May 2002...
and II
Second Balkenende cabinet
The second cabinet of Jan Peter Balkenende of the Netherlands formed on 27 May 2003. It consisted of three political parties: People's Party for Freedom and Democracy , Christian Democratic Appeal , and Democrats 66 , which is the smallest of the three.On 29 June 2006, D66 dropped its support for...
. Subsequently he was State Secretary
State Secretary (Netherlands)
State Secretary is the title of a junior member of the Dutch or Belgian cabinet. Other terms for the title are deputy minister, junior minister or vice-minister...
for Education, Culture and Science from 17 June 2004 until his resignation on 27 June 2006, when he was elected to succeed Jozias van Aartsen
Jozias van Aartsen
Jozias Johannes van Aartsen is a Dutch politician of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy . He is the Mayor of the Hague since March 27, 2008....
as the new VVD party leader
Party leader
In politics, the party leader is the most powerful official within a political party.The party leader is typically responsible for managing the party's relationship with the general public. As such, he or she will take a leading role in developing and communicating party policy, especially election...
.
At the 2006 general election
Dutch general election, 2006
The General Election to the House of Representatives of the States-General of the Netherlands was held in the Netherlands on November 22, 2006. And followed the call for new elections after the fall of the Second Balkenende cabinet....
the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy
People's Party for Freedom and Democracy
The People's Party for Freedom and Democracy is a conservative-liberal political party located in the Netherlands. The VVD supports private enterprise in the Netherlands and is often perceived as an economic liberal party in contrast to the social-liberal Democrats 66 alongside which it sits in...
under Rutte lost six seats and he became opposition leader, serving during the Cabinet Balkenende IV
Fourth Balkenende cabinet
The fourth Balkenende cabinet or Balkenende IV is the previous Dutch coalition cabinet formed by the political parties Christian Democratic Appeal , Labour Party , and ChristianUnion . The cabinet succeeded the third Balkenende cabinet following the 2006 election, and was installed by Queen Beatrix...
. After the fall of the Cabinet Balkenende IV, a snap election was called, and Rutte was once again the VVD's lijsttrekker
Lijsttrekker
Lijsttrekker is a Dutch term for the top candidate of a party on a party list. He or she is almost always the party's political leader. After an election, this person usually leads the party's faction in the States-General, or serves in a senior position in the Cabinet if his party is part of...
(top party list candidate) for the 2010 general election
Dutch general election, 2010
The 2010 Dutch general election was held on Wednesday, 9 June 2010. After the fall of the cabinet Balkenende IV on 20 February, Queen Beatrix accepted the resignation of the Labour Party ministers on 23 February...
. The VVD won the highest number of votes cast, resulting in their occupying 31 of the 150 seats in the House of Representatives. After a long formation period
2010 Dutch cabinet formation
Following the Dutch general election of 2010, held on June 9, a process of cabinet formation started, which typically involves 3 phases:# exploring with which parties to form a coalition,# negotiating to draft a coalition agreement ,...
, Rutte became prime minister and formed a cabinet. When he was sworn in on 14 October 2010, he became the first liberal
Liberalism in the Netherlands
This article gives an overview of liberalism in the Netherlands. It is limited to liberal parties with substantial support, mainly proved by having had a representation in parliament.-Background:...
Prime Minister in the Netherlands in 92 years.
Early life
Born in The HagueThe Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
, Rutte attended a gymnasium high school
Gymnasium (school)
A gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools. The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual...
, specialising in the arts, from 1979 till 1985. Although his original ambition was to attend the conservatory and become a concert pianist, he went to study history at Leiden University
Leiden University
Leiden University , located in the city of Leiden, is the oldest university in the Netherlands. The university was founded in 1575 by William, Prince of Orange, leader of the Dutch Revolt in the Eighty Years' War. The royal Dutch House of Orange-Nassau and Leiden University still have a close...
, where he obtained a MA
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
degree in History in 1992. He combined his studies with a position in the board of the Youth Organisation Freedom and Democracy
Youth Organisation Freedom and Democracy
The Youth Organisation Freedom and Democracy , officially abbreviated as JOVD, is one of the oldest political youth organisations in the Netherlands. It is a liberal organisation for people aged between fourteen and thirty one...
, the youth organisation of the VVD, of which he was chairperson between 1988 and 1991.
After his studies he entered the business world, working as a manager for Unilever
Unilever
Unilever is a British-Dutch multinational corporation that owns many of the world's consumer product brands in foods, beverages, cleaning agents and personal care products....
and Calvé. Until 1997 he was part of the human resource
Human resource management
Human Resource Management is the management of an organization's employees. While human resource management is sometimes referred to as a "soft" management skill, effective practice within an organization requires a strategic focus to ensure that people resources can facilitate the achievement of...
-department of Unilever and played a leading role in several reorganisations. Between 1997 and 2000 he was personnel manager for Van den Bergh Nederland, a subsidiary of Unilever. In 2000 he became member of the Corporate Human Resources Group. And since 2002 he was director of Human Resources for IgloMora Groep, another subsidiary of Unilever.
Between 1993 and 1997 he was a member of the national board of the VVD. He also served as a member of the VVD candidate committee for the
general election of 2002
Dutch general election, 2002
The General Election to the House of Representatives of the States-General of the Netherlands was held in the Netherlands on May 15, 2002....
. He was himself elected as a member of parliament in 2003.
Political offices
Rutte served as State SecretaryState Secretary (Netherlands)
State Secretary is the title of a junior member of the Dutch or Belgian cabinet. Other terms for the title are deputy minister, junior minister or vice-minister...
in the Social Affairs and Employment
Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment (Netherlands)
The Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment is the Dutch ministry of social affairs: it is occupied with employment, relations between employers and employees, the system of social security, and emancipation...
from 22 July 2002, until 17 June 2004 in the first Balkenende cabinet
First Balkenende cabinet
The first cabinet of Jan Peter Balkenende was in office in the Netherlands from 22 July 2002 until 16 October of the same year. The term of 87 days was the shortest since the fifth cabinet of Hendrikus Colijn .Following the 15 May 2002...
, a post in which he was maintained after the general election of 2003
Dutch general election, 2003
The General Election to the House of Representatives of the States-General of the Netherlands was held in the Netherlands on January 22, 2003.-Background:...
. He was responsible for fields including bijstand (municipal welfare) and arbeidsomstandigheden (Occupational safety and health
Occupational safety and health
Occupational safety and health is a cross-disciplinary area concerned with protecting the safety, health and welfare of people engaged in work or employment. The goal of all occupational safety and health programs is to foster a safe work environment...
). After the 2003 elections Rutte was briefly member of the House of Representatives, between 30 January and 27 May 2003.
He served as State Secretary
State Secretary (Netherlands)
State Secretary is the title of a junior member of the Dutch or Belgian cabinet. Other terms for the title are deputy minister, junior minister or vice-minister...
for Higher Education and Science, within the Education, Culture and Science, replacing Annette Nijs
Annette Nijs
Anette Dorothea Sophia Maria Nijs is a retired Dutch politician of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy . She was the State Secretary for Education, Culture and Science in the Cabinets Balkenende I and II serving from 22 July 2002 until 9 June 2004...
, from 17 June 2004, until 27 June 2006, in the first and second Balkenende cabinets. In office, Rutte has shown particular interest in making the Dutch higher education system
Education in the Netherlands
Education in the Netherlands is characterized by division: education is orientated toward the needs and background of the pupil. Education is divided over schools for different age groups, some of which are divided in streams for different educational levels...
more competitive internationally, by trying to make it more market oriented (improving the position of students as consumers in the market for education). He would have been succeeded by former The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
alderman Bruno Bruins
Bruno Bruins
Bruno Johannes Bruins is a retired Dutch politician of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy . He was the State Secretary for Education, Culture and Science in the Cabinets Balkenende II and III serving from July 7, 2006 until February 22, 2007. He was Acting Mayor of Leidschendam-Voorburg...
. Before Bruins could be sworn into office, the second Balkenende cabinet
Second Balkenende cabinet
The second cabinet of Jan Peter Balkenende of the Netherlands formed on 27 May 2003. It consisted of three political parties: People's Party for Freedom and Democracy , Christian Democratic Appeal , and Democrats 66 , which is the smallest of the three.On 29 June 2006, D66 dropped its support for...
fell. In the third Balkenende cabinet
Third Balkenende cabinet
The third Balkenende cabinet was formed on 7 July 2006 after a crisis in and the subsequent resignation of the second Balkenende cabinet. This demissionary minority cabinet of Christian Democratic Appeal and People's Party for Freedom and Democracy was negotiated by former prime minister Ruud...
Bruins succeeded Rutte after all, as State Secretary
State Secretary (Netherlands)
State Secretary is the title of a junior member of the Dutch or Belgian cabinet. Other terms for the title are deputy minister, junior minister or vice-minister...
.
When Rutte resigned as State Secretary
State Secretary (Netherlands)
State Secretary is the title of a junior member of the Dutch or Belgian cabinet. Other terms for the title are deputy minister, junior minister or vice-minister...
in June 2006 it was to return to the House of Representatives and to become soon the Parliamentary leader
Parliamentary group leader
The leader or chairman of a parliamentary group holds an influential political post in a parliamentary system with strong party discipline...
of the VVD. Rutte became an important figure within the VVD leadership. He was campaign manager for the 2006 municipal elections
Dutch municipal elections, 2006
The Dutch municipal elections of 2006 were held on March 7, 2006. About 11.8 million people could vote in 419 municipalities. Due to local redistricting, 15 municipalities have already held elections in January 2006 and 24 municipalities will hold elections in November 2006...
.
In 2009, Rutte stated that Holocaust denial
Holocaust denial
Holocaust denial is the act of denying the genocide of Jews in World War II, usually referred to as the Holocaust. The key claims of Holocaust denial are: the German Nazi government had no official policy or intention of exterminating Jews, Nazi authorities did not use extermination camps and gas...
, although it is ridicule as such, should no longer be punishable by law.
2006 leadership election
After the resignation of Jozias van AartsenJozias van Aartsen
Jozias Johannes van Aartsen is a Dutch politician of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy . He is the Mayor of the Hague since March 27, 2008....
, the VVD having lost in the 2006 Dutch municipal election, the party held an internal election
2006 VVD leadership election
The Dutch liberal party, the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy announced the results of its lijsttrekker election on 31 May 2006. Mark Rutte, the staatssecretaris for Higher Education and Science closely beat the Minister without Portfolio for Migration and Integration, Rita Verdonk and the...
for 'lijsttrekker', where Rutte competed against Rita Verdonk
Rita Verdonk
Maria Cornelia Frederika "Rita" Verdonk is a retired Dutch politician initially of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy until she was expelled in October 2007, she later formed her own party Proud of the Netherlands . She served as Minister for Integration and Immigration in Cabinets...
and Jelleke Veenendaal
Jelleke Veenendaal
Jelleke Veenendaal is a Dutch politician and member of House of Representatives for the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy ....
. On 31 May 2006, it was announced that Mark Rutte would be the next 'lijsttrekker' of the VVD. He was elected by 51.5% of the party members. Rutte's candidacy was backed by the VVD leadership, including the party board, and many prominent politicians such as Frank de Grave
Frank de Grave
Franciscus Hendrikus Gerardus de Grave is a Dutch politician.-References:* at parlement.com...
, former minister of Defence, Ivo Opstelten
Ivo Opstelten
Ivo Willem Opstelten is a Dutch politician of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy . He is the Minister of Security and Justice in the Cabinet Rutte since October 14, 2010....
, the mayor of Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
and Ed Nijpels
Ed Nijpels
Eduardus Hermannus Theresia Maria Nijpels is a Dutch politician.-References:...
, the Queen's Commissioner
Queen's Commissioner
The Queen's Commissioner is the head of a province in the Netherlands, who is chairman of both the Provinciale Staten and the Gedeputeerde Staten , but only has a right to vote in the latter...
of Friesland
Friesland
Friesland is a province in the north of the Netherlands and part of the ancient region of Frisia.Until the end of 1996, the province bore Friesland as its official name. In 1997 this Dutch name lost its official status to the Frisian Fryslân...
. The Youth Organisation Freedom and Democracy
Youth Organisation Freedom and Democracy
The Youth Organisation Freedom and Democracy , officially abbreviated as JOVD, is one of the oldest political youth organisations in the Netherlands. It is a liberal organisation for people aged between fourteen and thirty one...
, the VVD's youth wing, of which he had been chairperson, also backed him. During the elections he promised "to make the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy a party for everyone and not just of the elite". His youthful appearance has been likened to the successful former leader of the Labour Party
Labour Party (Netherlands)
The Labour Party , is a social-democratic political party in the Netherlands. Since the 2003 Dutch General Election, the PvdA has been the second largest political party in the Netherlands. The PvdA was a coalition member in the fourth Balkenende cabinet following 22 February 2007...
, Wouter Bos
Wouter Bos
Wouter Jacob Bos is a Dutch management consultant and former politician of the Labour Party . He was Minister of Finance and Deputy Prime Minister in the Cabinet Balkenende IV from February 22, 2007 till February 23, 2010...
.
On accepting the role of candidate-lijsttrekker, Rutte had made it clear that he wished to change the face of the VVD into a party where everyone, not just the "happy few" could feel comfortable. He had also stated that with the current social security ideas of the Labour Party
Labour Party (Netherlands)
The Labour Party , is a social-democratic political party in the Netherlands. Since the 2003 Dutch General Election, the PvdA has been the second largest political party in the Netherlands. The PvdA was a coalition member in the fourth Balkenende cabinet following 22 February 2007...
, which he called too conservative, it was unlikely that they would cooperate or form a coalition after the elections. Later he stated that he felt that the Christian Democratic Appeal
Christian Democratic Appeal
The Christian Democratic Appeal is a centre-right Dutch Christian democratic political party. It suffered severe losses in the 2010 elections and fell from the first to the fourth place...
(CDA) party was a party "the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy could do business with".
2006 Dutch general election
For the Dutch general election, 2006Dutch general election, 2006
The General Election to the House of Representatives of the States-General of the Netherlands was held in the Netherlands on November 22, 2006. And followed the call for new elections after the fall of the Second Balkenende cabinet....
, the VVD campaign with Rutte as leader did not get off to a good start. Rutte received criticism from within his own party for the campaign. Rutte was said to be overshadowed by his own party members Rita Verdonk
Rita Verdonk
Maria Cornelia Frederika "Rita" Verdonk is a retired Dutch politician initially of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy until she was expelled in October 2007, she later formed her own party Proud of the Netherlands . She served as Minister for Integration and Immigration in Cabinets...
and Gerrit Zalm
Gerrit Zalm
Gerrit Zalm is a retired Dutch politician of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy . He served as Minister of Finance and Deputy Prime Minister from May 27, 2003 until February 22, 2007 in the Cabinets Balkenende II and III. He served earlier as Minister of Finance in the Cabinets Kok I and...
, as well as being unable to penetrate between Wouter Bos
Wouter Bos
Wouter Jacob Bos is a Dutch management consultant and former politician of the Labour Party . He was Minister of Finance and Deputy Prime Minister in the Cabinet Balkenende IV from February 22, 2007 till February 23, 2010...
and Jan Peter Balkenende
Jan Peter Balkenende
Jan Pieter "Jan Peter" Balkenende is a Dutch politician of the party Christian Democratic Appeal .He was the Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 22 July 2002 until 14 October 2010, having led four coalition governments, cabinets Balkenende I, II, III and IV, none of which served a full...
, who were generally seen as the prime candidates to become the next Prime Minister of the Netherlands
Prime Minister of the Netherlands
The Prime Minister of the Netherlands is the chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Netherlands. He is the de facto head of government of the Netherlands and coordinates the policy of the government...
. On 27 November, it became known that Rita Verdonk managed to obtain more votes than Mark Rutte; Rutte obtained 553,200 votes against Verdonk's 620,555.
Decision to expel Rita Verdonk
After repeated criticisms by Rita VerdonkRita Verdonk
Maria Cornelia Frederika "Rita" Verdonk is a retired Dutch politician initially of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy until she was expelled in October 2007, she later formed her own party Proud of the Netherlands . She served as Minister for Integration and Immigration in Cabinets...
on the policy of the VVD, Rutte expelled her on 14 September 2007, from the party's parliamentary fraction.
2010 Dutch general election
In the Dutch general election, 2010Dutch general election, 2010
The 2010 Dutch general election was held on Wednesday, 9 June 2010. After the fall of the cabinet Balkenende IV on 20 February, Queen Beatrix accepted the resignation of the Labour Party ministers on 23 February...
, Rutte was once again the lijsttrekker
Lijsttrekker
Lijsttrekker is a Dutch term for the top candidate of a party on a party list. He or she is almost always the party's political leader. After an election, this person usually leads the party's faction in the States-General, or serves in a senior position in the Cabinet if his party is part of...
for the VVD. With 31 seats, his party came out the biggest in parliament out of these elections, for the first time in the history of Dutch politics
Politics of the Netherlands
The politics of the Netherlands take place within the framework of a parliamentary representative democracy, a constitutional monarchy and a decentralised unitary state. The Netherlands is described as a consociational state...
. A long period of negotiations followed, with several personalities succeeding each other as informateur, or persons being appointed by the Queen, in order to find out what coalition could be formed.
Efforts to have a coalition of liberals, Christian-democrats and socialists failed. Instead the only possibility appeared to be a center-right coalition of liberals and Christian democrats
Christian Democratic Appeal
The Christian Democratic Appeal is a centre-right Dutch Christian democratic political party. It suffered severe losses in the 2010 elections and fell from the first to the fourth place...
(CDA), with the outside support of the Party for Freedom
Party for Freedom
The Party for Freedom is a Dutch right-wing political party. Founded in 2005 as the successor to Geert Wilders' one-man party in the House of Representatives, it won nine seats in the 2006 general election, making it the fifth largest party in parliament, and third largest opposition party. It...
(PVV), led by Geert Wilders
Geert Wilders
Geert Wilders is a Dutch right-wing politician and leader of the Party for Freedom , the third-largest political party in the Netherlands. He is the Parliamentary group leader of his party in the Dutch House of Representatives...
.
After having succeeded in making this minority government accepted by his own party, by the Christian democrats and by Geert Wilders, Rutte proceeded by appointing the ministers, with Maxime Verhagen
Maxime Verhagen
Maxime Jacques Marcel Verhagen is a Dutch politician in the Christian Democratic Appeal party. He is the Minister of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation and Deputy Prime Minister since October 14, 2010 in the Cabinet Rutte.He previously served as a Member of the European Parliament for...
(CDA) as his deputy prime minister.
Prime Minister
On 8 October 2010 he was appointed formateurFormateur
A formateur is a politician who is appointed by the head of state to lead the formation of a coalition government, after either a general election or the collapse of a previous government. The role of the formateur is especially important in the politics of Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg,...
(charged with forming a new government) and formed his Cabinet
Netherlands cabinet Rutte
The Rutte cabinet is the current Dutch coalition cabinet formed by the political parties People's Party for Freedom and Democracy and Christian Democratic Appeal . The coalition is a minority cabinet, but is supported by the Party for Freedom to have a small majority in the House of...
. He presented his team to Parliament and it was confirmed in office by the smallest possible majority.
Rutte is the first Prime Minister of the Netherlands
Prime Minister of the Netherlands
The Prime Minister of the Netherlands is the chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Netherlands. He is the de facto head of government of the Netherlands and coordinates the policy of the government...
not from a Christian democratic party
Christian democracy in the Netherlands
This article gives an overview of christian democracy in the Netherlands, which is also called confessional politics, including political Catholicism and Protestantism. It is limited to Christian democratic parties with substantial support, mainly proved by having had a representation in parliament...
or the Labour Party
Labour Party (Netherlands)
The Labour Party , is a social-democratic political party in the Netherlands. Since the 2003 Dutch General Election, the PvdA has been the second largest political party in the Netherlands. The PvdA was a coalition member in the fourth Balkenende cabinet following 22 February 2007...
since 1918 as well as the first liberal
Economic liberalism
Economic liberalism is the ideological belief in giving all people economic freedom, and as such granting people with more basis to control their own lives and make their own mistakes. It is an economic philosophy that supports and promotes individual liberty and choice in economic matters and...
to become PM since Pieter Cort van der Linden
Pieter Cort van der Linden
Pieter Wilhelm Adriaan Cort van der Linden was a Dutch politician. He served as prime minister of the Netherlands between 1913 and 1918....
, who was Prime Minister
Prime Minister of the Netherlands
The Prime Minister of the Netherlands is the chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Netherlands. He is the de facto head of government of the Netherlands and coordinates the policy of the government...
from 1913 till 1918. He is also the first VVD PM.
Personal life
Mark Rutte is unmarried . He is a member of the CalvinistCalvinism
Calvinism is a Protestant theological system and an approach to the Christian life...
Reformed Protestant Church in the Netherlands
Protestant Church in the Netherlands
The Protestant Church in the Netherlands is the largest Protestant Christian denomination in the Netherlands. With 2,000 congregations and a membership of some 1.8 million , it is the second largest church in the Netherlands after the Roman Catholic Church.It was founded 1 May 2004 as a merger of...
. He still teaches two hours a week at a high school in The Hague.
External links
- Mark Rutte (Ministry of General Affairs) Drs. M. (Mark) Rutte (Parlement & Politiek)