Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and his entire cabinet resigned on Friday to take political responsibility for the scandal involving child welfare payments investigations, in which thousands of parents were falsely called laborers.
In a nationally televised speech, Rutte said he had informed King Willem-Alexander of his decision and promised that his government would continue to work to compensate the affected parents as soon as possible and fight the coronavirus.
Second straight 5-week LOC c-down among Netherlands entering amid rising coronavirus cases
“We thought in one mind that if the whole system failed, we must all take responsibility, and he came to the conclusion that I had just offered the king the resignation of the whole cabinet,” Rutte said.
Shortly after giving his statement, Rutte rode his bicycle and rode to the king’s palace in the jungles of The Hague to give formal formal information. Dutch television showed Rutte parked his bike at the bottom of the steps leading to the palace and walked inside.
The move was largely seen as symbolic; Route’s government will remain in office until a new coalition is formed after the March 17 election in the Netherlands.
The resignation marks the end of a decade in Rutte’s position, although his party expects to win the election, putting him in the front line to begin negotiations for the next government. If he succeeds in forming a new coalition, Route will become prime minister again.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte (AP Photo / Peter Dejong, file)
Girt Wilders, leader of the largest opposition party in the Dutch parliament, said it was the right decision for the government to step down.
He tweeted, “Innocent people have been criminally prosecuted, their lives have been destroyed and Parliament has been informed about it in an inappropriate and incomplete manner.
The Netherlands is the third European country to be thrown into political uncertainty this week. The government resigned over a corruption scandal in Estonia, while Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte’s ruling coalition is in danger of collapsing after support from a smaller partner party was withdrawn.
Rutte said earlier this week that even if his government were in caretaker mode, it would be able to continue making tough policy decisions in the fight against coronavirus. The Netherlands is under strict lockout until at least February 9, and amid fears about new, more contagious variants of the virus, the government is considering imposing an overnight curfew.
“I say to the Netherlands: our fight against coronavirus will continue,” Rute said.
Tourists earning from Amsterdam ANN Nabis Kfishops
The leader of an opposition party, Jesse Clever, told national broadcaster NOS that he would continue to support the government in its coronavirus campaign.
On Thursday, the leader of the opposition Labor Party resigned because he was the Minister of Social Affairs in the Rutte-led coalition, when the country’s tax office imposed a strict policy to monitor child welfare fraud.
A presiding minister, Eric Webbs, who was also involved in the scandal, said Friday that he was resigning with immediate effect and would not take part in the care administration.
At a cabinet meeting on Friday, the ministers set out their response in a parliamentary report issued last month, calling it “unprecedented injustice” and saying the tax office’s policies “violated the basic principles of the rule of law.” The report also criticized the government’s approach to providing information to Parliament about the scam.
Many falsely accused parents were drowning in debt when tax officials demanded a refund. The government has in the past apologized for tax office fee practices and set aside 500 million euros (60 607 million) in March to compensate more than 20,000 parents.
In a written response, the government promised to improve the welfare system as a result of the scam and to quickly pay 300,000 euros ($$ 3,300) to affected parents and expand existing compensation schemes.
“Everything is about giving parents and their children a fresh start in life,” the government said.
One of the parents who met at the cabinet was waiting near Parliament and said he wanted to resign.
“It’s important to me because that government admits, ‘We’ve made a mistake and we’re taking responsibility,’ because it was something that happened to us.”
Click here for the Fox News app
Rutte plans to lead his conservative People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy in the March election, and polls suggest he could win the most seats. Rutte, who has been the head of three different coalitions for a decade, will try to form the next ruling coalition.
But he said voters decided to decide his fate at the time of the election, noting that he took ultimate responsibility for the failure of his government.
“Buck stops here,” he said.
