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- The Dutch government resigned a few weeks before the March parliamentary elections.
- The government of Prime Minister Mark Rutte is drawing conclusions in a child benefits case in which around 20,000 parents were wrongly portrayed as scammers and plunged into major financial difficulties.
- A commission of inquiry was created, which in December concluded that the tax authorities had failed on a large scale.
The government of Prime Minister Mark Rutte is drawing conclusions from an unprecedented issue about child benefits. Around 20,000 parents were falsely portrayed as scammers between 2013 and 2019 and found themselves in deep financial difficulties.
Legend:
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte arrives before the Council of Ministers at the Binnenhof in The Hague. Ministers meet to discuss the political ramifications of the child aid issue.
Keystone
The rule of law has failed along the line
The matter escalated after a parliamentary inquiry commission harshly condemned the actions of politicians, authorities and the judiciary in December: “Basic principles of the rule of law were violated.” The government has already promised compensation of 30,000 euros per family.
The cabinet, led by Prime Minister Mark Rutte, met in The Hague on Friday to deliberate on the political consequences of the matter. The rule of law had failed across the board and “citizens were not protected against a powerful state,” Rutte said.
A symbolic step
Before the meeting began, several ministers indicated that resignation was inevitable. A clear “break” is necessary, said Foreign Trade Minister Sigrid Kaag. “Trust in the state must be restored.”
The resignation is seen primarily as a symbolic step and is unlikely to have any impact on the outcome of the March 17 election. Rutte assured that the fight against the corona pandemic will continue without truce.
