Dutch PM Mark Rutte wins fourth consecutive term, becomes EU's third-longest serving leader

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte claimed an overwhelming victory in the nation's General Elections held on March 17, 2021. The elections were conducted over a course of three days amid a nationwide lockdown due to COVID-19. 

Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s conservative VVD party claimed its fourth consecutive victory with 35 seats in the Dutch Parliament. Rutte pledged to spend his fourth term in rebuilding the country after the coronavirus pandemic. 

Rutte is already one of Europe's longest-serving leaders after spending ten years in office. Soon after his win, the process of forming a new Dutch governing coalition began. 

Coalition Talks

•Rutte is likely to form a coalition with the party that won the second-highest votes- the centrist, pro-European D66 party led by former diplomat Sigrid Kaag.

•The party won 23 seats to become the second-largest party in the Parliament. The party's win stunned the party itself including its leader Kaag, who reportedly danced on a table after the exit polls gave their projections. 

•On the other hand, Geert Wilder's Freedom Party looked to have lost its place as the second biggest party in Dutch Parliament by coming third with just 17 seats. 

•This time, the Dutch parliament will have record-equalling 17 parties, two more than the current number.  

Mark Rutte on his win

•Speaking after the results, Mark Rutte said, "The voters of the Netherlands have given my party an overwhelming vote of confidence."

•He noted that not everything went well in the last 10 years but the main issue on the table for the next years is how to rebuild the country going forward after the corona.

•He added saying that he has the energy for another ten years in office. The victory makes him one of the European Union's longest-serving leaders after Germany's Angela Merkel and Hungary's Viktor Orban.

Background

The Netherlands has recorded over 1.1 million COVID-19 infections and 16,000 deaths. The country is under its most stringent health measures including curfew and closure of bars and restaurants. The National Elections were conducted amid such stringent measures.