Dutch PM Rutte survives no-confidence vote

The Hague, April 2 2021: Winning the moniker of “Teflon premier”, for his ability to dodge accusations, Dutch PM Mark Rutte remains in power after he narrowly won a no-confidence vote, in what is being called the biggest political fight of his long career.

His time in office is second only to Angela Merkel and Hungarian PM Viktor Orban and if he manages to cling to power till 2022, will be the longest serving PM in Dutch history.

The vote happened because he allegedly lied about coalition talks and covering up efforts to rein in an outspoken MP.

Rutte will however remain under pressure after every party except his own supported a separate motion in parliament condemning his behavior. Rutte’s VVD party won the most seats in elections last month based on his handling of the coronavirus pandemic

Rutte made a public statement, after the vote, vowing to regain trust as he continues on as PM. He was supported by the two main parties that formed part of his previous coalition, the centre-left D66 and centre-right Christian Democratic Appeal, while all opposition parties voted against him.

Coalition talks were already expected to take until the early summer but may now drag on even longer after a break down last week when the talks had to be halted following a positive COVID test for one of the negotiators, and the notes she was carrying were snapped by a photographer.

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