Outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte has announced his departure from politics during a debate in the House of Representatives, which occurred after the fall of the cabinet on July 10, 2023, in The Hague, Netherlands. (Remko de Waal/ANP/AFP via Getty Images)
THE HAGUE, Netherlands—The caretaker government of the Netherlands has announced that Dutch voters will participate in an early general election on November 22. This decision comes a week after Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s four-party coalition resigned due to their failure to reach an agreement on measures to address migration.
The upcoming election, which will determine the 150 seats in the lower chamber of parliament, will bring forth a new generation of leaders as prominent members of Rutte’s coalition have announced their departure from politics.
Rutte, who is the longest-serving premier in the country’s history, has expressed that he will retire from politics once a new coalition has been established after the elections. However, this process can potentially take several months of negotiations between potential coalition partners.
Following Rutte’s announcement, Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra and Finance Minister Sigrid Kaag have also disclosed their plans to leave politics. Kaag, who was once considered a potential first female prime minister of the Netherlands, cited repeated threats against her and the impact on her family as reasons for her decision.