Dutch Prime Minister, Mark Rutte has disclosed his intention to quit politics after a general election sparked by his government’s resignation.
Rutte, the Netherlands’ longest serving premier, dropped the hint Monday as his decision means the end of more than 13 years in power for the conservative leader, ABC News disclosed.
The 56-year-old leader of the People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy,VVD, announced his decision at a hastily arranged parliamentary debate to discuss the fall of his latest governing coalition.
“Yesterday morning I made a decision that I will not be available again as a leader of the VVD. When a new Cabinet takes office after the elections, I will leave politics”, Rutte said.
It was described as a “personal decision, regardless of the developments in recent weeks”.
ABC News disclosed that Rutte’s four-party ruling coalition resigned Friday after failing to agree on a package of measures to rein in migration.
He said it was a unanimous decision by the four partner parties prompted by “irreconcilable differences”.
There was no immediate indication of who might replace Rutte as leader of the VVD. The party’s parliamentary faction is led by Rutte’s former political assistant, Sophie Hermans.
No date has yet been set for the election, but it is not expected before October or November.
