INTUSK MAGAZINE

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has resigned, along with the rest of his cabinet, citing irreconcilable differences within his four-party coalition over how to handle immigration.

The Netherlands will hold general elections later this year for the 150 seats in the lower house of parliament as a result of the decision made on Friday by its longest-serving premier.

Rutte declared that he would head a caretaker administration up until the election, which would prioritize tasks like continuing to support Ukraine's war effort.

Rutte had presided over late-night discussions on migration policy on Wednesday and Thursday that failed to produce a consensus. He had declined to respond to inquiries about the matter at his weekly press conference prior to the discussions, and more talks took place on Friday night.

The coalition tried for months to hash out a deal to reduce the flow of new migrants arriving in the country of nearly 18 million people.

Two classes of asylum were reportedly proposed, one for those fleeing war and the other for those attempting to flee persecution. Another proposal purportedly included limiting the number of family members who could accompany asylum seekers in the Netherlands.

Rutte’s government worked for a law that could compel municipalities to provide accommodations for newly arrived asylum seekers, but the legislation has yet to pass through both houses of parliament.The prime minister also promoted European Union efforts to slow migration to the 27-nation bloc.